Insalata di polpo (Octopus Salad)

Octopus seems to be enjoying something of a boomlet in popularity at the moment. Until very recently I could mostly find fresh octopus only at specialty Spanish or Italian fishmongers, but these days it seems to be everywhere, even making an occasional appearance at the fish counter in my local supermarket. And just the other day I found imported Spanish pre-cooked octopus at a local discount “big box” store, a sure sign that this formerly “exotic” seafood has gone mainstream. The current popularity of octopus is well deserved. It has an intriguing, subtly maritime—but not at all fishy—taste and a slightly chewy, almost meat-like texture that many people enjoy, even those who might not normally be seafood lovers. Personally, although I love octopus grilled or braised as well, I think perhaps the best way to enjoy its unique qualities is in insalata di polpo, or Octopus Salad. It’s delicious and colorful, and, if you use pre-cooked octopus, you can toss it together in just a few minutes. Ingredients Serves 4-6 1 kilo (2 lbs) octopus, pre-cooked or fresh (see Notes) For the dressing: 150 ml (a bit over 1/2 cup) olive oil The juice of a half or a whole lemon 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced A few sprigs of fresh parsley, finely minced Salt and pepper Red pepper flakes (optional) Optional: Potatoes, boiled in their skins, then peeled and cut into wedges Olives Capers, packed in brine, or caper berries Celery, thinly sliced Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced Cherry tomatoes, cut in half To serve: Arugula or tender lettuce leaves Lemon slices or wedges Directions If using pre-cooked octopus, rinse and drain it well and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the tentacles into cubes and head, if included, into strips. If using fresh octopus, boil it until tender (see Notes for details), drain it and let it cool until just slightly warm beforehand. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until well emulsified. Taste and adjust for acidity and seasoning. Pour the dressing over the octopus and mix well, together with any of the optional ingredients you may be using. Let everything rest for a good 30 minutes or more. Serve on a bed of arugula or tender lettuce leaves, with lemon slices or wedges on the side. Notes on Octopus Salad The amount of lemon juice and seasonings that go into the dressing for your insalata di polpo are largely a matter of taste. I don’t like my dressing to be too acid, so I use fairly minimal lemon juice. But you can, of course, add as much as your taste dictates—and let diners add more if they like at table. (In fact, some recipes recommend that you only add lemon juice just before serving.) I prefer to be discrete with the garlic, too. On the other hand, I do like my dressing well salted and appreciate just a bit heat that comes from a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. But whatever you do, use best quality olive oil—it’ll make or break this salad as it does for any salad—and be generous with it. Not all recipes call for letting your Octopus Salad rest before serving, but I do find it enhances the flavor. As little as 30 minutes will help, while some recipes call for 2 hours or more. But don’t let it go for more than a day, or the salad will lose its freshness and the flavors, especially the garlic, may get too strong. The bed of arugula or tender lettuce leaves is, of course, totally optional but a nice touch. The lemon slices add color and helpful for those who might like to freshen their salad with a last minute squeeze of lemon juice. Variations As you can see from the list of optional ingredients, you can dress up your Octopus Salad in many different ways. Boiled potatoes is, perhaps, the most popular complement to the octopus, in which case you can call your salad an insalata di polpo e patate. It’s a nice, economical way to “stretch” your salad. Olives are also quite popular, often green but in Liguria, not surprisingly, they use the local brownish taggiasche olives. I personally think the fresh taste and crisp texture of celery marries quite well with octopus. Sicilian recipes often add carrots, celery and green olives to their insalata di polpo, along with a handful of capers. Insalata di polpo all’eoliana is made with cherry tomatoes and the larger caper “berries”. Precooking the Octopus As mentioned at the top of the post, these days you can buy your octopus, whole or just the prized tentacles, pre-cooked. It is a great convenience, and the quality can be actually quite good. Fresh or frozen octopus you’ll need to boil until tender in well salted water. Some people add a bay leaf to the water for flavor, some a bit of wine or lemon juice, some a garlic clove, some the “holy trinity” of onion, carrot and celery. Cooking times vary widely. A very large octopus can take a good 2 hours until it’s tender, although a typical one will take perhaps 45 minutes. Baby octopus cooks in as little as 20 minutes. But do take your time. Some people dislike octopus because it’s “rubbery”, and of course it can be if it’s undercooked. Old time recipes call for you to beat octopus with a rolling pin or throw it against a marble surface to soften it up before cooking, but you can dispense with that drama these days, unless, of course you can some pent up aggression you want to release… Print Yum Polpo all’insalata (Octopus Salad) Ingredients1 kilo (2 lbs) octopus, pre-cooked (see Notes) For the dressing: 150 ml (a bit over 1/2 cup) olive oil The juice of a half or a whole lemon 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced A few sprigs of fresh parsley, finely minced Salt and pepper Red pepper flakes (optional) Optional: Potatoes, boiled in their skins, then peeled and cut into wedges Olives Capers, packed in brine, [or caper berries] Celery, thinly sliced Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced Cherry tomatoes, cut in half To serve: Arugula or tender lettuce leaves Lemon slices or wedgesDirectionsIf using pre-cooked octopus, rinse and drain it well and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the tentacles into cubes and head, if included, into strips. If using fresh octopus, boil it until tender (see Notes for details), drain it and let it cool until just slightly warm. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until well emulsified. Taste and adjust for acidity and seasoning. Pour the dressing over the octopus and mix well, together with any of the optional ingredients you may be using. Let everything marinate for a good 30 minutes or more. Serve on a bed of arugula or tender lettuce leaves, with lemon wedges on the side.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes0.1https://memoriediangelina.com/2019/03/09/insalata-di-polpo-octopus-salad/(c) Frank Fariello Enter your email address below and you'll receive new posts in your inbox as soon as they're published, at absolutely no charge. You'll never miss another recipe! 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