Cold salad with octopus and green beans is a fresh dish typical of Mediterranean cuisine, very easy to prepare. Healthy and tasty, perfect to serve in the summer season.
A recipe with octopus that is perfect for many different occasions.
It’s great when we want to serve a tasty and light appetizer to open a fish menu, but it’s also ideal as a main course or even as a single dish when we want to eat light.
In this case, the octopus is paired with green beans and potatoes, but what makes the dish very interesting is the presence of lemon and sun-dried tomatoes. I must say that the celery adds freshness to the dish, a perfect blend of flavors for our taste buds.
You often ask me how to make the octopus tender, and here is the answer.
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, it is recommended to check its coloring and appearance: the octopus should be bright and shiny.
The octopus is about 80% water, which will expand and break the fibers when frozen. The freezing, therefore, has the effect of relaxing the fibers once it is naturally defrosted.
Secondly, to cook the octopus perfectly, it should be left in its water until completely cooled; in addition, during cooking, the water should not have a strong boil but should simmer slightly so that there are no temperature fluctuations.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Day 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 290.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 26.98 (g) of which sugars 6.65 (g)
- Proteins 19.98 (g)
- Fat 12.94 (g) of which saturated 2.29 (g)of which unsaturated 2.42 (g)
- Fibers 5.71 (g)
- Sodium 560.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 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 for Cold Salad with Octopus and Green Beans
- 2.2 lbs octopus
- 2 potatoes (large)
- 10 oz green beans
- 2 stalks celery (medium)
- to taste sun-dried tomatoes in oil (optional)
- lemon (organic, grated zest and juice)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 stalk celery
- carrot
- onion
Tools
- 2 Pots
- Bowl
Steps for Cold Salad with Octopus and Green Beans
First, proceed by removing the eyes and beak of the octopus, by cutting them with a small knife (unless they have already been removed by the fishmonger).
Then rinse it well by scrubbing it under running water, paying attention to cleaning the suckers. If necessary, clean them one by one.At this point, you can proceed to cut the pouch, below the eyes.
Proceed to clean the octopus pouch. Turn the pouch inside out, pull out the innards, and cut them off.
Rinse the inside of the pouch well.
Turn the pouch inside out again, cut into the skin covering the octopus pouch, and pull it away.Rinse thoroughly and set aside.
Then proceed to clean the octopus tentacles. Slightly cut the skin and pull it away, being careful with the suckers; these should remain attached.Rinse thoroughly.
Then set it aside, keeping it cool, and prepare the base for its cooking.
In a pot full of water, immerse the peeled and chopped onion, carrot, and celery.
Bring to a boil.
At this point, focus on the octopus. Hold it firmly by the head and repeatedly dip the tentacles in boiling water, so they curl with the heat (this process will make the presentation more elegant).After that, immerse it completely and let it cook. (consider 20 minutes for every kilo).
Once cooked, let it cool in its cooking water for 25/30 minutes.
While the octopus is cooking, prepare the green beans and potatoes.
Clean the green beans: simply remove both ends with a smooth-bladed knife or with your hands and remove the ‘string’ if present.
Wash them thoroughly under water and boil them in boiling water for 15/20 minutes depending on their size.
When they are cooked, drain them, let them cool, and then cut them into small pieces.
Wash the potatoes well and immerse them in a pot filled with salted water without peeling them.
Turn on the heat and let them boil for 40 minutes from when it starts boiling (or for 20 minutes from the whistle if you are using a pressure cooker).
Then drain them from the water and set them aside to cool.
I advise against preparing them at the last moment, as the hot and very moist pulp would easily break.
When the potatoes have completely cooled, remove the skin and cut them into regular chunks. Keep them aside in a container covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from turning dark upon contact with air.
Now let’s cut the previously washed and dried celery.
Also, cut the sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
At this point, cut the octopus into pieces or rings and put it in a salad bowl, add the green beans and potatoes, season them with oil, salt, pepper, the finely sliced celery, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the juice of a lemon and the grated zest.
Mix and let it marinate for about 30 minutes, before serving.
Enjoy your meal.
Notes and Curiosities
A good cooking process cannot ignore the selection of the best raw materials.
Here are some small tips on how to choose the right octopus for your recipe:
Intense color, first of all: real 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 purchasing an octopus with flabby flesh.
Pay attention to the suckers: two symmetrical rows for male rock octopus, with more prized flesh.
Two asymmetrical rows for the female, which also has smaller tentacles and less exquisite flesh.
And if there is only one row of suckers … they are trying to sell you musky octopuses!
Curl of the tentacles: curled tentacles are synonymous with beaten or defrosted octopuses, while fresh octopuses have stretched tentacles.
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