Greek Octopus Salad

Published on March 19, 2014 | In Greek | By The Social Chef |

If you had told me that I’d be eating Greek octopus salad 20-years ago I would have said fat chance. Well, I am eating Greek octopus salad and have been eating octopus for some time now and I’m very fond of it. I just haven’t had it as fresh as I’ve had it here in Greece while on My BIG Fat Greek Culinary Tour.

Back in Florida there is a restaurant called Greek Isles located around Ft. Lauderdale. The owner is from Greece and his culinary kitchen is pretty darn good. Prior to coming to Greece the sautéed octopus they served was superb. Then I met some Greek chefs here in Athens and experienced fresh octopus…like really fresh. Just like the states I have discovered that there are select places in Greece to get your seafood. The majority of grocery stores and even some fishmongers that the general public goes to purchase seafood is not all that fresh.

One Greek chef I met has reinvented himself and now helps struggling restaurants by recreating their menu, upgrading ingredients, training the current chefs and wait staff to improve their business. He has informed me that chemicals are injected into the fish to prolong their shelf life. So that is why I journey to a fishmonger to get my seafood, one of course that he suggested.

Back to octopus. I had no idea that the octopus has a very short life span and the main reason for death is reproduction, besides man of course. A male dies within a month or two after mating. The females typically starve themselves to death after she lays her eggs. A general lifespan of an octopus is less than 5-years and that is considered long. In the USA the place where I always purchased my octopus was Whole Foods. But since the process of killing an octopus is not the way the food giant prefers, they have discontinued the selling of octopus. The fishermen after capturing their prey will bang the octopus against a stone many times to tenderize it then hang on a line to dry. While baby octopus is still carried by many stores in the USA, often they are frozen and like most foods, frozen just isn’t the same. Obviously major food distributors that sell to the restaurants carry them but that is to the restaurant industry. I’ll be in search once I return back in the states for a place that sells octopus.

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Recipe Rating

(2 Rating)

Ingredients

1 fresh octopus or a few arms
½ cup olive oil
1 lemon
½ cup each diced red and green peppers
1 cup dry white wine
4 bay leafs
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Using a large knife put a few scores in the top larger sections of the octopus
2. Add olive oil to a large pot that is just large enought to fit the entire octopus in and place on high heat then adding the octopus.
3. Sear on high for 3-minutes and turn adding a few pinches of salt, wine and bayleafs.
4. Cover with a lid reducing heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 1-hour turning every 15-minutes.
5. The octopus will create it’s own juices along with the wine creates an incredible flavor.
6. Once octopus is cooked, remove from stove and allow to cool for 30-minutes uncovered
7. Remove from pan reserving liquids.
8. Cut arms off from main body to allow to cool for easy handling
9. Slice octopus into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
10. Using a glass bowl add sliced octopus, peppers, squeeze of fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle some good olive oil over top and fold
11. As an option you may spoon some of the reserved octopus juice over top and gently fold
12. Serve immediatley or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Course : Appetizer, Side Dish
Recipe Type : Healthy Recipes, Salad, Seafood

Instructions

1. Using a large knife put a few scores in the top larger sections of the octopus
2. Add olive oil to a large pot that is just large enought to fit the entire octopus in and place on high heat then adding the octopus.
3. Sear on high for 3-minutes and turn adding a few pinches of salt, wine and bayleafs.
4. Cover with a lid reducing heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 1-hour turning every 15-minutes.
5. The octopus will create it’s own juices along with the wine creates an incredible flavor.
6. Once octopus is cooked, remove from stove and allow to cool for 30-minutes uncovered
7. Remove from pan reserving liquids.
8. Cut arms off from main body to allow to cool for easy handling
9. Slice octopus into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
10. Using a glass bowl add sliced octopus, peppers, squeeze of fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle some good olive oil over top and fold
11. As an option you may spoon some of the reserved octopus juice over top and gently fold
12. Serve immediatley or refrigerate and serve chilled.

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About Chef

The Social Chef

Michael Van Horn (aka MJ) 'The Social Chef', has incorporated his passion for culinary with his love and artistic ability of photography, his infatuation with writing, his charismatic ways of ...