Levantine cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Akhtabout bi Zeit

Tender braised octopus, served lukewarm in good olive oil with lemon and parsley as a mezze.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1.2 kg octopus (cleaned)
• 2 onions
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 6 tbsp good olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sumac
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Halve the onions and put them with the bay leaves and allspice berries into a large pot with 3 l water; deliberately don't salt the water, or the octopus will turn tough.
2. Bring the water to a boil, dip the octopus in and out three times for 5 sec. each so the tentacles curl up tightly, then submerge it fully.
3. Cook over low heat just below a simmer for 60–70 min. until a knife slides into the thickest part of the tentacles without resistance.
4. Let the octopus cool in the cooking liquid for 15 min., remove it, cut off the tentacles and slice into 3 cm pieces.
5. Finely grate the garlic and whisk with the juice of one lemon, the olive oil, salt and pepper into a marinade; let the still-warm pieces steep in it for 10 min.
6. Sprinkle with roughly chopped parsley and the sumac, and serve lukewarm with wedges of the second lemon as a mezze.