The Octopus with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Olives is truly delicious and very easy to prepare. Few ingredients but very tasty. As always, I try to use fresh products for my fish recipes, but sometimes I do buy frozen ones because they’re definitely more convenient to handle. No problem, as long as you buy good quality frozen products. In this case, I went to my trusted fish market and brought them home already cleaned, which saved me precious time. Andrea is always very helpful and professional.
Great also as an appetizer, on slices of toasted bread.
If you like shellfish, don’t miss the upcoming recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1.75 lbs Octopus
- 14 oz potatoes
- 3 tbsps Gaeta/Taggiasca olives
- 25 oz tomato pulp
- 6 tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Preparation
Take the octopus out of the fridge at least 40 minutes before cooking so they reach room temperature. Peel the potatoes, wash them well under running water, and dry them. Cut them into 8 lengthwise and dice them. Rinse the octopus, let them drain for a few minutes, then dry them. Meanwhile, put two whole garlic cloves in a saucepan, along with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Add the potatoes, season with salt, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Once a crust has formed on their surface, add the octopus and continue to sauté for a few minutes until they turn pink. At this point, add the tomato pulp and enough hot water to fill the can to avoid thermal shock.
Finally, add the pitted Taggiasca or Gaeta olives, according to taste, and cook for about 40 minutes, maintaining a medium flame to prevent boiling. You can also cover with a lid, leaving it three-quarters closed so that steam can escape. If you want to spice it up a bit, add some chili pieces.
Serve your Octopus with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Olives, hot, but not before sprinkling with fresh parsley and another two tablespoons of raw extra virgin olive oil.
Advice
You can store the octopus in the fridge for no more than two days, closed inside a glass or ceramic container.
Ideal for freezing too, but remember they should only be thawed in the refrigerator and never at room temperature.
If you want, you can also preserve them, ensuring you always have a supply available. For this, check out my article: Homemade Preserves
