Italian cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Octopus and Potato Salad

Tender-cooked octopus, tossed lukewarm with diced potatoes, lemon, parsley and good olive oil.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1.2 kg octopus (cleaned)
• 500 g waxy potatoes
• 2 lemons
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk celery
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Bring plenty of water with the bay leaves and the roughly cut celery stalk to a boil and dip the octopus in three times briefly, until the tentacles curl – this keeps the skin intact.
2. Submerge the whole octopus and cook over low heat, just below simmering, for 50–60 min., until a knife slides into the thickest part without resistance; let it cool in the liquid for 15 min.
3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in their skins for 20–25 min. until tender, let steam off briefly, peel and cut into 2 cm cubes.
4. Lift the lukewarm octopus out of the liquid and cut the tentacles and head into bite-sized pieces of about 3 cm.
5. Finely grate the garlic and whisk with the juice of one and a half lemons, the olive oil, salt and pepper into a dressing.
6. Toss the octopus and potatoes loosely with the roughly chopped parsley and the dressing, let steep for 15 min. and serve lukewarm with the remaining lemon wedges.