Nonna Lorella Colandrea’s Octopus Salad

Name: Nonna Lorella Colandrea’s Octopus Salad (Insalata di Polpo)
Prep time: 4 h
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 pounds (1.3 kg) octopus, use one 1- to 3-pound (454 g to 1.3 kg) octopus or several smaller ones that add up to 3 pounds (1.3 kg) total (see Nonna Lorella Says); 1 medium Idaho potato, washed and unpeeled; 2 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch (13 mm) dice; 3 cloves garlic, minced; ⅔ cup (160 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; Juice of 3 lemons; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine; Salt, to taste; Black pepper, to taste

Insalata di Polpo

Preparation info

Yield:
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
5 hr

Appears in

Cooking with Nonna

By Rossella Rago

Published 2018

About

Nonna Lorella dresses her salad with super-simple, clean flavors, so the octopus can be the star of the show. Some people may be intimidated by the prospect of cooking an octopus, but it’s much easier than you think. Try and buy octopi that are smaller in size, which will be much more tender than larger ones.

Ingredients

Octopus

3 pounds (1.3 kg) octopus, use one 1- to 3-pound

Europe
Italy
Fish course
Gluten-free
Pescatarian
Christmas

Method

To cook the octopus: Wash the octopus under cold running water. Bring a large stockpot filled with about 14 cups (3.3 L) of water to a boil. You want enough water to cover the octopus completely. Add the potato to the pot. (According to Nonna lore, if you boil a potato with octopus, when the potato is tender, the octopus will also be tender.)
Hold the oc