I love to eat octopus! The first time I ever ate it was with an Italian friend, Bruno, who took me to a Greek Restaurant near Ft. Lauderdale, where we ate it grilled and I was in love! (With him and the octopus) Usually, I eat it almost every time I see it on a menu and prepared in many different ways. I love them all.
We buy octopus fresh at the market, but I always freeze it right away and then thaw before cooking it. As a result, freezing changes the texture in a good way and makes it less tough and easier to cook. So, the following is one of my favorite recipes and it is good hot or cold.
Ingredients:
One octopus (about 2 lbs)
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon
Parsley
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
3-4 potatoes
Clean and empty the sack. Take out the eyes and the “beak” which holds some tiny bones. Boil some salted water. Hold it by the head and emerge the tentacles in the water using a dipping motion. Do this four or five times so that the tentacles curl up nicely. It needs to be almost completely submerged. Cook it for at least 45 minutes or up to an hour.
Take it out of the water and drain. Cut into small pieces.
In a bowl blend the oil with the chopped parsley and garlic. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the blend over the octopus and let sit for at least 2 hours before serving. You can serve at room temperature or cold.
However, if you want a hardier meal, you can throw a few whole potatoes into the boiling water with the octopus. When they are cooked, cut into chunks and serve with the pieces of octopus. Pour the sauce over all.
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