Warm Octopus with Potatoes, Olives, and Tomatoes

Warm octopus with potatoes, olives, and tomatoes is a dish with a Mediterranean flavor that combines various elements typical of coastal cuisine. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized octopus (about 1-1.5 kg)
• 500 g potatoes
• 150 g Taggiasche or Gaeta olives
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh parsley to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon zest (optional)

Preparation

1. Start with cooking the octopus. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. When boiling, dip and lift the octopus three consecutive times to tenderize the tentacles and then let it cook for about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and boil them with the skin in salted water until tender. Drain, peel, and cut into cubes.
3. Prepare an emulsion with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and chopped parsley. Add some grated lemon zest if desired for a fresh touch.
4. Rinse the olives and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
5. When the octopus is cooked, drain it and let it cool slightly. Then, cut the octopus into pieces that are not too small.
6. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the octopus pieces together with the potato cubes until lightly golden.
7. Add the olives and cherry tomatoes, sauté for another minute or two. Turn off the heat and season with the emulsion prepared earlier.
8. Arrange the octopus, potatoes, olives, and cherry tomatoes on a serving plate and serve still warm.

Trivia

The octopus is a valuable food for its tender and tasty meat, but to keep it soft, it is very important to lower the temperature immediately after cooking. This procedure is called “blanching” and consists of immersing the octopus in ice water immediately after cooking, thus stopping the cooking and improving its texture.