Growing up in Italy, seafood was an important part of our everyday lives. Dinnertime was a special time of the day, filled with laughter, love — and of course — great seafood. Our company’s mission is to bring that high quality of seafood we grew up eating, directly to your home.
Gullo Specialty Foods is a family owned and operated business based out of Long Island, New York. Our goal is to provide the finest tenderized octopus in the United States. And our mission is to be the leading distributor in the marketplace — delivering quality products and outstanding service to our customers. Our customers are the top chefs, distributors, hotels and caterers in the United States and we provide octopus to most of the major markets throughout the country. We continue to grow every day thanks to our team of highly trained sales people — many of whom have spent most of their working lives in the octopus business. Our story begins in Sicily where our family was born and where octopus was a staple in our home. As children, our mom would simply prepare octopus just by boiling it and us squeezing some lemon on it. We would eat it like it was a bowl of popcorn — we just couldn’t get enough of it! Eventually octopus became an integral part of our lives. Many years later Frank — one of the owners of Gullo Specialty Foods — wanted to follow his passion for octopus and started doing research on how to bring the product he loved such much to the US for everyone to enjoy. He tried many different varieties and finally found the one product that matched the quality he loved so much as a child. From there, Gullo Specialty Foods was born. Our day starts very early when the world is still sound asleep. The lights go on at 3:30 AM every morning and the octopus tenderization process begins. It needs to be done right, as no product leaves our facility without our personal seal of approval. We are very passionate about our products and we want our customers to be just as passionate as we are. We are now the leaders in importing and distributing the highest quality of tenderized octopus and cuttlefish. We are very proud and humbled that people love our products just as much as we do.
Grilled Octopus Salad Ingredients:
Octopus 2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Chianti or Sangiovese 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 cup finely chopped carrot 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 4 cloves unpeeled garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil lime, juiced Salad: 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 2 limes, juiced bunch mint, stems removed, leaves torn into pieces 1/2 cup chopped green olives, preferably Cerignola (available at specialty olive bars) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 endives with core removed, julienned 3 cups julienned radicchio leaves 2 cups cooked chickpeas or gigante beans
Directions: Prep Time: 20 mins • Total Time: 40 mins Put the octopus in a pot with the wine and enough cold water to cover. Add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaf; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook until opaque, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the octopus with a slotted spoon and cool. (This may be done a day ahead and refrigerated in a covered bowl.) Transfer the octopus to a resealable plastic bag and add the garlic, olive oil, and lime juice; seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove the octopus from the marinade and set aside Preheat a charcoal or gas grill until hot. Position the rack about 5 to 6 inches from the heat. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, mint leaves, and green olives in the jar of a blender and puree into a smooth emulsion. Alternatively, whisk these ingredients together in a small bowl for a chunkier texture. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set aside. Toss the endive, radicchio, and chickpeas together in a salad bowl and set aside. Grill the octopus for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once after 2 to 3 minutes, until it is browned in spots and nicely caramelized but not burned. Remove and cut into bite-size pieces. Toss with the greens and vinaigrette.
