Octopus Salad is a very famous Portuguese appetizer dish. I’m using Portuguese Octopus, you can use another one type if you find it hard to get. I’m making a big portion to bring to my friend birthday party. You can make a small portion by breaking down this recipe. Give it a go you will love it!
Preparation time 2 hours for a big portion
Serves for 20 people as an appetizer
Ingredients
3kg of Octopus (2 Octopus 1.3kg & 1.7kg)
3 tablespoon of Vinegar
Aromatic ingredients to tender the Octopus (For 1 Octopus)
2 piece of Carrot
½ Onion
2 Bay leaves
Handful of French Garlic
Handful of Spring Coriander stems
3 cloves of crushed Garlic
1Lime zest
3 Cloves
½ teaspoon of whole Black Pepper
½ teaspoon of Salt
Water enough to cover the Octopus
Seasoning Ingredients for Salad
150 grams of Sun Dried Tomatoes diced in small cubes
2 medium sized Red Onion in small cubes
1 clean and fresh large size of Red Capsicum diced in cubes
1 Handful of Coriander
150 ml of Olive Oil
Salt at your taste
Black Pepper at your taste
4 tablespoons of Lime juice or Vinegar
How to make
First clean the Octopuses and soak them in the water 1 hour with 3 table spoon of vinegar, it helps to reduce the strong smell of it. After an hour drain it and rinse it with clean water and keep it aside.
Make sure you have a big enough pot with water to cook Octopus. Octopus need to be fully cover with the water inside pot while we are boiling.
Turn the gas on in high heat, put pot on it then add all aromatic ingredients and bring it to boil. Next put Octopus with a trick to tenderized, hold the Octopus head with your hand and put only lower part into the boiling water then move it in circle a couple of second then pull it up you can see that lower part of the Octopus already start to squeeze, repeat this process 3 to 4 times then let it go completely into the water. This trick breaks the muscle fibers and helps to tenderize it. Repeat the same process for the other one.
Now put the lid on and put heat to Medium and let it cook the small one for 45 minutes and big one for 55 minutes, it depends how tender you want, keep checking in-between. After it’s done take it out and put on the rack to drain the excess water and cool it down. For the liquid which we cooked Octopus you can drain with a strainer and keep only the broth to cook Octopus rice or other seafood dishes if you like.
Meanwhile dice other ingredients of the salad in a small cubes. By this time Octopus will be ready to cut, cut it into bite size or your preferable size and add to the large tray or a big salad bowl.
Then add all chopped ingredients as well as season with salt and black pepper at your taste, 4 tablespoon of Lime juice or Vinegar then 150 milliliter of extra virgin Olive Oil. Mix it all together very well. Taste and adjust it. If you are happy with it then we are done.
Enjoy and share this recipe!
