Fresh, citrusy, and savory on point, octopus salad is among our favorite summer dinner recipes. Drizzle some drops of traditional balsamic vinegar aged for 12 years and the flavors will get immediately brighter and more lingering. The splash of agrodolce tones down the octopus’ fishy aftertaste and the caperberries’ salty personality. Extra tip: serve it warm and be generous with those balsamic drops!
Ingredients
SERVES: 4-6 people
TIME: About 1 hour and a half
- Fresh octopus (about 1,5 kg/3 lbs)
- Lemon, 1/2
- Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 1 kg/ 2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- Black Olives, 4 tablespoons, pitted and halved
- Caperberries, 4 tablespoons, rinsed and cut into thin slices
- Parsley, 2 tablespoons, freshly chopped
- Sea salt
- EVOO
- Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena aged for 12 years
Preparation
- Remove beak, innards, and eyes from the octopus, then clean the inside of the head thoroughly.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half lemon, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer the octopus for about 40 minutes, or until tender (it is ready when you can easily pierce it with a fork or knife). Remove the octopus from the pot but keep the cooking water.
- In the same pot, add potatoes and coarse salt. Boil until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and let them cool.
- Cut the octopus into bite-size pieces. In a large serving bowl, combine octopus, potatoes, caperberries, olives, and parsley.
- Season generously with EVOO, adjust with sea salt, and serve drizzling on each plate the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.