OCTOPUS SALAD with VERY TENDER POTATOES
When the heat comes we all feel the need for fresh, light dishes.
One of my favorite dishes at this time is octopus salad with potatoes.
A classic starter that, in larger portions, is also a great main course.
It reminds me of when I was a child and my father used to spear them with a trident.
He would return to shore with his “trophy” and would beat them on the rock to make the meat more tender. I obviously avoid going in search of rocks to tenderize the octopus, and luckily with the recipe handed down by my mother I found a much more practical way to cook an octopus salad that stays very tender.
Follow the recipe and cook with me
OCTOPUS SALAD with VERY TENDER POTATOES
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- octopus (about 2.2 lbs)
- potatoes (about 1 lb 5 oz)
- white wine (1 glass (about 4 fl oz))
- extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- chopped parsley (2 tbsp)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- lemon (juice of 1/2 lemon)
Preparation
If you bought a fresh octopus, the first thing to do, if the fishmonger hasn’t already done it, is to clean it.
Remove the sac located inside the head, cut away the eyes with the tip of a knife and also remove the central beak found in the head.
Rinse well under running water.
To make it more tender, beat the tentacles with a small hammer or a meat mallet.
If you purchased frozen octopus you can of course skip all the previous steps.
Take a large pot and put in plenty of lightly salted water, the white wine and the octopus (start cooking in cold water).
From when the water reaches a boil, count about 20/25 minutes.
Before turning off the heat check with the tines of a fork that the meat has become tender.
When cooking is complete, let it cool in its cooking water before removing it (this step is very important to obtain a tender octopus).
Once cooled, if they bother you you can remove the larger suckers or partially remove the dark skin.
Cut the octopus into pieces about 1 inch (2–3 cm).
Boil the potatoes, still with the skin on, in lightly salted water until they are cooked through (this depends on the size of the potatoes).
Then peel them and cut them into cubes not too small (you can also boil the potatoes together with the octopus but they will turn slightly reddish).
Prepare an emulsion with oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chopped parsley.
Add the octopus to the potatoes and dress with the emulsion.
Serve the octopus salad warm or at room temperature.
Have you ever tried dressing pasta with octopus? See this recipe https://blog.giallozafferano.it/atavolacontea/pasta-con-polpo-ricetta/
STORAGE
Once ready it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
TIPS
You can serve your octopus with potatoes accompanied by cherry tomatoes.
To prepare this recipe you can use either fresh or frozen octopus; in fact, when using frozen it will often be even more tender.
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