Octopussalas - easy and quick!

Since we still have some left over from the last time we cooked octopus, we'll show you another dish with octopus today. This is an octopus salad. It is ideal for bringing the Italian Riviera home to your living room. With just a few fresh ingredients you get a well rounded salad.

Ingredients

Octopus

• 2.5 kg octopus

• 100g celery stalks

• 5 sprigs lemon thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp white peppercorns

• 1 clove garlic

• Water to boil

Salad to 500g octopus

100g waxy boiled potatoes (preferably from the day before)

10g celery stalks

10g young leek

10g red pepper (optional)

½ shallot

Some fresh chilli

Olive oil for marinating

Rapeseed oil for frying

Lemon juice from one lemon

Salt and pepper

A handful of parsley

Instructions

Octopus

Bring a large saucepan to the boil with water and a little salt. In the meantime, wash and roughly chop the celery.

Once the water has come to the boil, add the octopus and the rest of the ingredients and turn down the heat (the octopus should no longer boil in the bubbling water).

Now leave to infuse for about 40 minutes. You can tell if the octopus is done cooking by pricking it with a needle or knife. If it comes out easily, it is done.

Now remove the octopus and leave to cool. Then cut a piece of the octopus into slices.

Potatos

For the fried potatoes, we need already cooled waxy potatoes. Cut them into slices about 1 centimetre thick.

Heat a pan with plenty of rapeseed oil and fry the potato slices well. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. As soon as they are brown on one side, turn them over and fry the other side as well. Drain the remaining fat on a paper towel.

Now wash the celery, young leeks, peppers and fresh chilli and slice finely. Peel the shallot and cut into fine rings. Wash the parsley and cut into fine julienne.

Now combine all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Resumé

Fancy salad that doesn't come on the table like this every day. When properly prepared, the octopus is buttery soft and melts in your mouth. We at Food for flexitarians hope you have fun cooking it.

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FAQ

Can I cook the octopus in advance?

Yes, the octopus actually tastes better the next day. Cook it, let it cool, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to two days before slicing and assembling the salad.

How do I know the octopus is tender enough?

Prick it with a knife or skewer after about 40 minutes of gentle simmering. If it slides out easily without resistance it's done, otherwise give it another 5-10 minutes.

Can I use a different potato variety?

Waxy potatoes hold their shape best when fried, but if you only have all-purpose potatoes, just fry them a touch shorter so they don't fall apart.