Octopus salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g squid(s) (polpo – octopus)
• salt water
• 500 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 1 handful of parsley, flat, chopped
• 1 garlic clove(s), chopped
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 juniper berries
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 cup olives, brown (e.g. Ligurian Taggiasca)
• 1 cup olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Ligurian recipe for octopus salad with potatoes

Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, trim and roughly dice the vegetables. Then wash and clean the squid. It’s important to remove the eyes (between the tentacles and the body) and the tooth (on the underside, in the middle of the tentacles). Add the vegetables, vinegar, juniper berries, and bay leaves to the boiling water and dip the octopus briefly into the boiling water 5-6 times using a slotted spoon or ladle. Only then add the octopus completely and simmer over medium heat. The cooking time is approximately 50 minutes, until the octopus is “al dente.” Brush the potatoes and add them unpeeled to the pot 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. After cooking, remove the potatoes and squid from the broth. Don’t discard the broth; it’s still perfect as fish stock for other dishes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Skin the squid’s body sac and chop it up along with the tentacles. In a bowl, combine the potato and octopus pieces with the garlic, parsley, olives, and oil. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Best served lukewarm.