POLPO ALL'INSALATA

OCTOPUS SALAD is one of the dishes that mean "Summertime" to me. I realize not everyone might be a fan of octopus meat and that some people might find it even repulsive. But I can assure you that it is a true delicacy of the Amalfi Coast!
Serve it as an appetizer with fresh bread or as a second course with a green salad. This could become your new favorite Summer lunch!

In Italy, we make this dish with fresh octopus. However, I have never been able to find a large fresh octopus here in the Boston area. Hence, I buy it frozen, from Protugal.
If you are able to find a fresh one, you will want to freeze it first,  to make the meat more tender.

INGREDIENTS:

One large frozen octopus
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Parsely
Hot pepper flakes
Fresh lemon juice


Start by thawing the octopus the evening before.
Once defrosted, rinse it well under cold running water.
Place it in a large pot with abundant water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium / low and continue boiling until you can easily pierce the meat with a fork.

Remove from water and let cool down. 

Cut the octopus in chunks with scissors. Dress with olive oil, salt, parsley, hot pepper flakes and FRESH lemon juice. Taste to make sure you have a good dressing (more "lemony" than "oily").

On the Amalfi Coast often times restaurants will add white cannellini beans and / or boiled potatoes to this salad. Try all options and decide how you like it best!