Ingredients
- 2 lb. Fresh octopus 2 smaller octopus are ideal for quicker cooking
- 2/3 Potatoes According to their size
- 3/4 cup Green olives
- 2 Lemons Both juice and zest
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Pink Himalayan Salt
- Black pepper
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
For the octopus
- Fill a stockpot with water and aromatics (carrot, celery, salt, peppercorns, half a lemon and laurel). Bring water to a boil. Before completely poaching the octopus let the tentacles touch the boiling water, moving the octopus up and down 3 or 4 times. This will nicely curl the tentacles for a prettier plate. Cook the octopus until tender (according to its weight) in the covered stockpot over low heat. I cooked two octopus of 1 lb. each in 25 minutes, but a bigger one may well need 45 to 60 minutes. Try it with a fork after 25 minutes; if soft, remove and immediately place it in a bowl filled with ice and water. This will stop its cooking and it will prevent the octopus from becoming rubbery. Heat a cast iron grill pan on the stove. On a wooden cutting board, chop the octopus in 1-inch pieces (including the head that you or your trusted fish guy have previously cleaned). When the grill pan is hot, grill the octopus until nicely charred. I like both the taste and the smell of lightly charred octopus!
For the potatoes
- Cook potatoes in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, or until soft. When cooked remove them from the pot and let them cool down. Peal the the potatoes, and chop them into a serving bowl. Slice the olives and add to the potatoes. Set aside.
Assemble and serve the salad
- Once the octopus is charred (5 minutes approximately) stir in with the potatoes and the olives. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add its zest, too. Season with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with plenty of fresh Italian parsley. Serve warm.
Share this Recipe