octopus salad
serves 8 for an appetizer
- 1 cnt 4 lb. octopus, fresh or frozen spanish
- 1 t finely chopped italian parsley
- 1 small purple onion, sliced thin then chopped in 1 inch lengths
- 2 medium tomatoes cut into 1 inch cubes (if not in season use 1 box of cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half)
vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 t dijon mustard
- 1/2 t honey cup mustard
- 2 t rice wine vinegar
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 t dried oregano
- 1/2 t dried basil
- 1 t red pepper flakes
bring large pot of water to boil. rinse fresh (or thawed) octopus and dip in boiling water 4 times while holding the head. this breaks down the proteins and makes it more tender. place in pot, cover and simmer for 50 minutes. place on cutting board and remove the head. remove the beak and the muscle around it which is on the underside at the top where the legs meet (it will be about the size of a chick pea). slice legs into 1 inch pieces. the head is a little tougher than the legs so slice into thin small 1 inch lengths.
combine octopus with onion and tomatoes in a large bowl. gently stir in vinaigrette until lightly coated. serve garnished with chopped italian parsley.
