Appetizers, Fish, Salads

Octopus and Potato Salad

May 13, 2014 by Gabriele Corcos

DIFFICULTY

Octopus is one of those ingredients that’s present in the Mediterranean diet wherever you go. In Italy, during the summer, it’s really easy to find octopus salads or pasta with red octopus sauce. They’re really hard to catch because of the camouflage, but I remember catching them with a spear when I was a kid. I like the animal. It’s very smart and it tastes good. All you need here is a glass of dry white wine and a slice of toasted bread!

Serves: 6 / Prep time: 20 minutes / Inactive prep time: 2 hours / Cook time: 1 1/2 hours

2 pounds fresh or frozen octopus, cleaned
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 russet potatoes
1 handful fresh parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the octopus, a couple of cloves of garlic, and white wine vinegar.

2Stir well and cover with a lid, lower the flame and cook slowly for about 1 hour, then turn off the heat and let the octopus cool off in the cooking water for about 30 minutes.

3Add 2 potatoes to a pot of cold water and boil until just tender. Drain and dice into 1-inch cubes.

4Remove the cooled octopus from the water and place it on a cutting board, slice the tentacles into 1-inch pieces and the head into small squares.

5In a serving bowl mix together the octopus, potatoes, fresh parsley and remaining garlic. Season the octopus mixture with a generous drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and finish with some lemon juice.

6Stir the salad well, cover it, and refrigerate for about 2 hours.