Octopus Salad
Serves 2
20 mins prep
120 mins cook
240 mins Fridge Time
380 mins total
Octopus Salad… File this under one of my absolute favorites and it works great with shrimp too! I feel like octopus gets a bad rap about being hard to get right and although it can be tricky, once you get the hang of it it's quite easy. This salad was very popular at a restaurant I used to work at, well, a version of it anyway. I have since turned this recipe my own!
First, place the tomatoes atop a strainer with some salt and the bonito flakes. Then, let them sit for 15-20 minutes to release the tomato water which will be used in our vinaigrette.
Secondly, mix the tomato water, sumac, shallot, lemon, red wine vinegar, dijon, honey and mix well.
Lastly, add in the octopus, tomatoes, celery, potato, capers and herbs to the dressing bowl. Then, add in olive oil and mix.
Cooking The Octopus
Add the whole octopus to a pot large enough to cover it completely and add water, plenty of salt, 1 onion, 1 celery stalk and 3 garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer until you can stick a knife to the tentacles without any resistance. It will be about 1-1.5 hours depending on the size. Let it remain in the water as it cools. At this point you can cut off the tentacles and discard the beak. Refrigerate overnight wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, or at least 4 hours, this yields a way better result because it sets the skin.
