Some dishes do not shout for attention. Grilled octopus is one of them. On paper it is simple: octopus, a grill, a sauce. In reality it is one of the most patience-demanding dishes in the kitchen, and one of the most satisfying to share.
Tako: octopus in Japanese cooking
Tako (たこ) means octopus. In Japan you find it everywhere: as sushi (tako nigiri), in vinegared salad (sunomono), in street-food dumplings (takoyaki) and, at the izakaya, grilled and glazed. It is a clean seafood, both gentle and briny, that lends itself well to sharing among friends over a drink.
At the izakaya, grilled octopus holds a place of choice among the warm small plates: generous enough to share, refined enough to open the appetite without dulling it.
How we prepare grilled octopus at Aji
Everything is decided before the grill. The octopus is first slowly tenderised and carefully poached: that patient step is what turns potentially rubbery flesh into a tender bite. Without that upstream work, no grill saves an octopus.
Then comes the cooking: we sear the octopus to develop its aromas and create a lightly caramelised surface, without ever drying it out. We lacquer it with a tare sauce, sweet-savoury and umami, which glazes the dish and balances the briny side. A crisp salad of julienned vegetables brings freshness and contrast.
What is an izakaya, exactly?The origin and philosophy of the izakaya, to place grilled octopus in context.How to enjoy it
Eat it hot, as soon as it arrives. Grilled octopus is enjoyed in bites, alternating the lacquered flesh and the crisp salad to play on textures. A drizzle of the tare already on the plate is enough: no need to add soy sauce, the dish is already seasoned.
It is a sharing dish. For two or more, you pick from the centre of the table, between sips, in the pure izakaya spirit.
What makes grilled octopus tender rather than rubbery?
What to drink: our BYOW pairings
An ice-cold Japanese beer is the most direct pairing: its freshness cleans the palate between bites. For wine, a bright, mineral white, muscadet, picpoul or albariño, highlights the briny side without overpowering it. A dry junmai sake, served chilled, also works very well with the tare.
Yakitori, karaage, edamame: the izakaya classicsThe other small sharing plates that shape an izakaya evening.- 1Tako (たこ) means octopus: an izakaya classic, gentle and briny.
- 2Tenderness comes from patient tenderising and poaching, before the grill.
- 3Tare sauce glazes the dish and balances the briny side; the crisp salad adds contrast.
- 4Pairings: ice-cold Japanese beer, mineral white wine or dry junmai sake.
- 5At Aji, it is a taste of the new menu, at the counter, in Rosemont.
Grilled octopus is exactly the kind of dish that sums up the spirit of Aji: an honest product, patient technique, and the simple pleasure of sharing. Formerly Kasaisuta, the counter has become Aji Sushi MTL, but the care remains the same.
Come (re)discover the grilled octopus at Aji's counter, 929 St-Zotique East, in Rosemont.
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