Octopus and potato salad

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PRESENTATION

Octopus and potato salad

If you use octopus as your main ingredient, what can you pair it with? Potatoes every time! A warm octopus and potato salad is an evergreen Italian summer dish that brings the best out of simple, typically Mediterranean flavors. Tender chunks of octopus and potatoes, a fragrant sprinkling of fresh parsley, and the aromatic final touch of citronette dressing to flavor this flavorsome, nutritious, and full-bodied salad is all you need. This is a great recipe to enjoy all year round when you are in the mood for a simple, tasty fish dish. Once you discover how to clean octopus and how much cooking it needs, it will be your go-to ingredient!

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients to be cooked
Octopus 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
Potatoes 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
Bay leaves 2 leaves
For the citronette dressing
Parsley 1 bunch
Black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil 0.3 cup (60 g)
Fine salt to taste
Lemon juice ¼ cup (60 g)
Preparation

How to prepare Octopus and potato salad

To prepare a warm octopus and potato salad, start with the potatoes: place a large saucepan filled with cold water on the heat and submerge the potatoes in their skins, after washing them thoroughly 1: leave them to cook for about 30-40 minutes from the moment they come to a boil (a fork test will tell you if they are cooked: if you can insert the fork without resistance, they are ready). You can halve the cooking time by boiling the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Meanwhile, clean the octopus: Turn the head inside out and scoop out the contents, remove the beak in the middle of the tentacles using a small knife 2 and then discard the eyes 3;

then rinse thoroughly under running water 4. (If you are using a fresh octopus, we recommend beating it with a mallet to tenderize the flesh. As an alternative or next step after beating, you may decide to freeze it for a couple of days). Pour plenty of water into another pan, add the bay leaves 5 and bring to a boil. Once the water reaches boiling point, submerge only the octopus tentacles in the boiling water for a few moments and then lift the octopus out of the pan 6.

Repeat this process 2-3 times, or until the tentacles are very curly 7. After that, submerge the whole octopus in the water, cover with the lid and cook for 50 minutes over moderate heat 8. For optimum cooking, allow about 20-25 minutes per 1.1 lb (500 g) of octopus. Meanwhile, when the potatoes are cooked, drain, and peel them, taking care not to burn your fingers 9

and cut them into 1-inch (2-3 cm) chunks 10. Set aside and keep warm. Prepare the citronette dressing: pour the squeezed lemon juice 11 into a dressing shaker and add the olive oil 12,

season with salt and pepper 13, close the spout 14, then shake the bottle to mix 15

Wash and finely chop the parsley 16. As soon as the octopus is ready, drain it 17 and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Place on a cutting board, separate into two halves, cut off the head 18

and detach the tentacles from the central body, then cut everything into chunks measuring approximately 1 inch (2-3 cm) 19. Tip the octopus into a large bowl, add the warm potato cubes 20, and dress the salad with citronette flavored 21

with the chopped parsley 22. Mix everything gently to coat with the aromatic dressing 23. Your warm octopus salad is ready to serve 24! 

 

Storage

The octopus and potato salad is best eaten immediately. If any is left over, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one day. If you have used fresh fish, you can freeze the octopus by itself (without the potatoes) once cooked.

Tips

If you like stronger flavors, you can flavor the octopus cooking water with juniper berries, which will give this seafood a stronger flavor. A popular twist is to add chopped raw garlic to season the dish.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.