Octopus Salad (Ensalada de Pulpo)

Name: Octopus Salad (Ensalada de Pulpo)
Prep time: 2 h 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 907 grams octopus, cleaned; 1 serving Salt; 1 large Several of fresh oregano; 1 large Several of fresh parsley; 1 sprig Several of fresh cilantro; 237 milliliters seeded, chopped cucumber (peeled if the peels are thick and bitter, otherwise leave them on); 118 milliliters finely chopped red onion; 3 green onions, sliced, including some of the darker green ends; 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced (test for heat, if really hot, only use a small amount); 118 milliliters (loose) chopped fresh cilantro, including tender stems; 1 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 Tbsps lime juice; 2 Tbsps cider vinegar; 59 milliliters olive oil; 473 milliliters chopped, seeded tomatoes

You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Octopus Salad (Ensalada de Pulpo) a try. Watching your figure? This gluten free, dairy free, whole 30, and pescatarian recipe has 340 calories, 35g of protein, and 16g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 4. A mixture of tomatoes, oregano, several sprigs of cilantro, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so delicious. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes. If you like this recipe, you might also like recipes such as Tropical Papaya, Avocado and Pulpo Salad, Octopus Salad, and Octopus Salad (Tako Su).

Instructions

Heat a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Equipment you will use

Pot

Place the raw octopus in the boiling water, return the water to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Then remove the octopus from the pot and place to cool on a sheet pan. Discard the cooking water.

Ingredients you will need

Octopus

Water

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Pot

Cut the octopus into large pieces, discard anything that doesn't look like meat (innards, beak, etc.) that somehow slipped by the cleaning process.

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Octopus

Meat

Place the pieces of the octopus on the bed of herbs.

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Octopus

Herbs

Bake: Prepare a bed of herbs (parsley, cilantro, fresh oregano) in a small Dutch oven or covered casserole.

Ingredients you will need

Fresh Oregano

Cilantro

Parsley

Herbs

Equipment you will use

Dutch Oven

Oven

Place the octopus pieces on top of the herbs, cover and bake in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 1 3/4 hours, until tender (adjust cooking time for smaller or larger octopi).

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Octopus

Herbs

Equipment you will use

Oven

Prep the baked octopus pieces:

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Octopus

Remove the pieces of octopus to a sheet pan to cool. When cool to touch, pull off any gelatinous bits that surround the pieces of the octopus that you don't want to eat. (It's a texture thing. If you don't mind the texture, don't worry about it, it tastes good.)

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Octopus

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

You may also notice small round pieces of meat that sort of look like eyeballs. They're not eyeballs, but pieces from the octopus' suction cups on the tentacles. They taste good too, just like the rest of the octopus.

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Octopus

Meat

Cut the meat into 1/2-inch pieces. You should have close to 2 cups of chopped octopus meat.

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Octopus

Meat

Combine with remaining ingredients (except tomato) and chill:

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Tomato

Place the chopped octopus into a large, non-reactive bowl.

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Octopus

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Add the cucumbers, red onion, scallions, cilantro, dried oregano, and jalapeño.

Ingredients you will need

Dried Oregano

Cucumber

Red Onion

Green Onions

Cilantro

Add the lime juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

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Apple Cider Vinegar

Lime Juice

Olive Oil

Salt

To serve, stir in the chopped tomatoes.

Ingredients you will need

Tomato

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

907grams

octopus, cleaned 1serving

Salt 1large

Several of fresh oregano 1large

Several of fresh parsley 1sprig

Several of fresh cilantro 237milliliters

seeded, chopped cucumber (peeled if the peels are thick and bitter, otherwise leave them on)118milliliters

finely chopped red onion 3

green onions, sliced, including some of the darker green ends 1

fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced (test for heat, if really hot, only use a small amount)118milliliters

(loose) chopped fresh cilantro, including tender stems 1teaspoons

dried oregano 2Tbsps

lime juice 2Tbsps

cider vinegar 59milliliters

olive oil 473milliliters

chopped, seeded tomatoes

Recommended wine: Chardonnay, Gruener Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay, Gruener Veltliner, and Sauvignon Blanc are great choices for Salad. Sauvignon Blanc and Gruner Veltliner both have herby notes that complement salads with enough acid to match tart vinaigrettes, while a Chardonnay can be a good pick for creamy salad dressings. You could try A to Z Chardonnay. Reviewers quite like it with a 4.2 out of 5 star rating and a price of about 15 dollars per bottle.