Italian Octopus Salad
Why I Love This Recipe
"Insalata di polpo" - A traditional Ligurian family dish that we love to cook, eat and share!
Submitted by: "The Podesta Family"
Ingredients You'll Need
600-800g/2lb whole octopus
1-2 cloves minced garlic
handful, chopped flat parsley
Salt/Pepper (a sprinkle, to taste)
Fresh Lemon Juice (to taste)
Olive Oil (use good quality oil, to taste)
Optional:
Potatoes (1-2 medium size, for salads)
Green Kenya Beans (a handful or more)
TIP: The freshest octopus you get directly from Sai Kung's fishermen at the waterfront boats!
Directions
1. Clean the fresh octopus by removing the innards, eyes and beak. Wash the octopus well under cold running water and drain thoroughly before freezing it which makes it more tender once defrosted.
2. Boil water in a big pot (to enhance the flavor you may add a piece of carrot, celery, garlic or a cup of white wine to the water)
3. Just as it begins to boil, plunge the octopus quickly three times, holding it by its head. Then place it on the bottom of the pot completely immersed in the water and cook on medium heat for about 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the octopus) until "al dente".
4. Leave octopus in the hot water pot covered with a lid for another 20-30 minutes to further tenderize. To make sure that the octopus is ready, poke it with a fork: the meat should be tender, but not mushy.
5. Place the octopus on a cutting board to cool down and remove some of the gluey skin parts with a sharp knife and cut to bite size
6.Place octopus bites in a bowl and season as to your liking with a bit of salt, pepper, fresh flat parsley, minced or sliced garlic, fresh lemon juice and lots of olive oil.
7.If you opt to add some bite sized potatoes and green beans, boil or steam them in another pot until "al dente" (not mushy) while cooking the octopus, let them cool before cutting and finally mix them together with the salad at the end.
8. Serve still warm or keep it in the fridge (also overnight) and remove from fridge at least 30 min before serving adding more olive oil and mixing well to dissolve any jelly bits that tend to appear due to the cooling.
Buon appetito!
