Dashboard › Browse Recipes › Grilled Octopus Causa and Grilled Chita Encausada
Grilled Octopus Causa and Grilled Chita Encausada
Two Peruvian dishes on a kamado grill: octopus tentacles anticuchero-style over causa balls with avocado, and grilled chita fillets encased in causa with chimichurri.
Ingredients
- 1 whole (~1kg) chita fish (grunt/sargo) (filleted, skin on)
- 600 g pre-cooked octopus (cut into tentacles)
- 400 g causa dough
- 2 units ripe avocado
- 2 units tomato (peeled, concassé)
- 2 tbsp ají panca paste (for octopus marinade)
- 1 handful fresh parsley (chopped, for chimichurri)
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano
- 1 unit roasted red pepper (diced)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp aged wine vinegar
Steps
-
1Prepare kamado with charcoal and orange wood chips. Fillet chita with skin on, season skin with oil and coarse salt.
-
2Make chimichurri: parsley, oregano, roasted pepper, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt.
-
3Marinate octopus anticuchero-style: ají panca, garlic, oregano, vinegar, dark cola, oil.
-
4Grill chita skin-side down 6-7 min, flip briefly. Grill octopus on high heat 3-5 min.
-
5Assemble chita causa: flatten causa, layer tomato, avocado, lettuce, grilled chita, chimichurri, top with second causa sheet.
-
6Assemble octopus causa: balls of causa filled with avocado, topped with grilled octopus pieces and chimichurri.
Nutrition (per serving)
520
Calories
38g
Protein
42g
Carbs
22g
Fat
Cultural Context
Causa limeña is one of Peru's most iconic dishes, reinvented here as a warm-cold contrast with grilled proteins. The octopus echoes anticucho marinades from Afro-Peruvian cuisine.