Octopus alla Luciana is a typical recipe from Neapolitan cuisine. The dish is named after the Santa Lucia district of Naples, an ancient village of sailors skilled in catching true octopus.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
OCTOPUS ALLA LUCIANA
- 1.76 lbs octopus (Already gutted and cleaned)
- 3.5 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1.75 cups tomato puree
- 2.8 oz olives (Preferably from Gaeta)
- 2 cloves garlic
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed salt
- as needed parsley
- 0.7 oz capers in salt
Steps
Let’s start preparing this delicious and appetizing octopus alla Luciana.
In a pot, put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and parsley stalks. Add the cleaned octopus and cover with a lid. As they say, “O purpo se coce dinto a ll’acqua soja,” which means “The octopus cooks in its own water.” Cook for about 15 minutes.
Remove the garlic clove, add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, and desalinated capers, adjust the salt, and stir. Cover with a lid and continue cooking until it becomes tender. It will take about 40 minutes. Et voilà, the octopus alla Luciana is ready 😋
STORAGE
This dish, eaten the next day, will be even more flavorful. It keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The leftover sauce is also great used as a dressing for pasta.
