Octopus Salad is a fresh dish. A simple recipe that lets you enjoy the fragrance of freshly caught octopus.

This Mediterranean appetizer, in all its simplicity, is perfect to kick off a seafood menu.
Often, you ask me how to make the octopus tender, and now I’ll tell you right away.

If you buy it fresh at the fish market, it’s best to freeze it for at least 48 hours so that, thanks to the extremely cold temperatures, it becomes more tender and less tough.

When purchasing, make sure to check the color and appearance: the octopus should look shiny and glossy.

The octopus is composed of about 80% water, which will expand when frozen, breaking the fibers. Freezing thus has the effect of relaxing the fibers once thawed naturally.

The only drawback is that to achieve a tender octopus, it takes time. Cooking times can exceed an hour, depending on the size of the mollusk. Additionally, the octopus needs to cool in its cooking water to become tender.

Have you ever wondered how to make a truly perfect octopus salad? Read all these tricks and let me know if you liked it.

Tip: You can prepare it in advance and serve it warm or at room temperature without compromising its taste.

In fact, letting the salad rest for a few hours makes it even more flavorful!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 4 People
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All Seasons

184.35 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 184.35 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 6.35 (g) of which sugars 3.12 (g)
Proteins 16.55 (g)
Fat 11.07 (g) of which saturated 2.02 (g)of which unsaturated 1.01 (g)
Fibers 1.59 (g)
Sodium 505.44 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 5 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Octopus Salad

2.2 lbs octopus
carrot (1)
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic
2 leaves bay leaves
to taste black peppercorns
to taste extra virgin olive oil
lemon (juice)
to taste parsley
pepper
salt

Tools

Steps

First, proceed by removing the eyes and beak of the octopus, by cutting them out with a small knife (if not already removed by the fish vendor).
Then rinse it well by scrubbing it under running water, paying attention to the cleanliness of the suction cups. If necessary, clean them one by one.
At this point, you can proceed to cut the sack below the eyes.
Proceed to clean the octopus’s sack. Flip the sack inside out, pull out the innards and cut them off.
Rinse the inside of the sack well.
Flip the sack back, cut the skin covering the octopus sack and pull it away.

Rinse thoroughly and set aside.
Then proceed to clean the octopus’s tentacles. Slightly cut the skin and pull it away, being careful with the suction cups, which should remain attached.
Rinse thoroughly.
Then keep it aside in a cool place and prepare the base for its cooking.
In a pot full of water, immerse garlic, bay leaves, the peeled and chopped carrot, and celery.
Bring to a boil. Add the black peppercorns.

Now focus on the octopus. Hold it firmly by the head and repeatedly dip the tentacles into the boiling water to curl them with the heat (this will make the presentation more elegant).
Then immerse it completely and let it cook (consider 20 minutes for each kilo).

Once cooked, let it cool in its cooking water for a couple of hours.
Finally, separate the tentacles from the head and cut the tentacles into chunks and the head into strips.
The size is at your discretion.
In a bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic crushed with a garlic press. Beat with a fork to emulsify all the ingredients.
Adjust with salt and pepper, and add the chopped parsley.
Place the cut octopus on the serving plate, and dress it by evenly distributing the citronette.
A tip is to wait a little before serving it to allow the ingredients to fully enhance their flavors!
Your octopus salad is ready.
Enjoy your meal.

Tips

You can prepare it in advance and serve it warm or at room temperature without compromising its taste.

Good cooking cannot disregard the choice of the best quality ingredients.

Here are some small tips on how to choose the right octopus for your recipe:

Intense color, first of all: true octopuses have a strong color, not “faded” but tending towards red.

Firm texture: the rigidity of the fibers is a sign of freshness, while it is definitely advisable to avoid buying an octopus with flabby flesh.

Pay attention to the suction cups: two symmetrical rows for the male rock octopus, with more prized flesh.

Two asymmetrical rows for the female octopus, which also has smaller tentacles and less exquisite flesh.

And if there’s only one row of suction cups… they’re trying to sell you musky octopuses!

Curled tentacles: curled tentacles are synonymous with beaten or defrosted octopuses, while fresh octopuses have relaxed tentacles.

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