THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019
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30
L'Italo-Americano
Octopus salad is a delicious Summer dish that can be enriched with many ingredients, including capers, potatoes and herbs © Kuhar | Dreamstime.com
LA BUONA TAVOLA
RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES
FRANK FARIELLO
Continued to page 32
Bring the Italian seaside to the table
with a Summer octopus salad
O
ctopus
seems to be
enjoying some-
thing 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 oc-
casional appearance at the fish
counter in my local supermarket.
And
just the other day I found
imported Spanish pre-cooked oc-
topus at a local discount "big
box" store, a sure sign that this
formerly "exotic" seafood has
gone
mainstream.
The current popularity of oc-
topus 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 nor-
mally be seafood lovers. Person-
ally, 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, colorful and
extremely versatile. And, if you
use pre-cooked octopus, you can
toss it together in just a few min-
utes.
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 pars-
ley, finely minced
• Salt and pepper
• Red pepper flakes (op-
tional)
Optional:
• Potatoes, boiled in their
skins, then peeled and cut into
wedges
• Olives
Capers, packed in brine, or ca-
per 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 ingre-
dients together until well emul-
sified. Taste and adjust for acidity
and seasoning.
Pour the dressing over the oc-
topus 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
Octopus is good even on its own, with just some olive oil, pepe and sale © Fabiobalbi | Dreamstime.com
