#cooked octopus

It goes without saying that there are no octopus swimming in the tiny pond in our garden; this Garden Octopus Salad is thus called because, I do, on the other hand, grow tomatoes and herbs in the Veg Patch, and they all ended up in this deliciously fragrant and tasty dish, particularly enjoyable on a sunny and warm June day! Happy Friday!

Ingredients (serves 4):

a small bunch Garden Chives 

a few fluffy sprigs Garden Dill 

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Chervil 

½ lemon

a good pinch of fleur de sel

and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon Piment d'Espelette or (slightly less) Cayenne Pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 small shallots

900 grams/2 pounds cooked Octopus, cooled

1/2 large cucumber, rinsed

1 cup Garden Cherry Tomatoes, rinsed

Finely chop Garden Chives, Dill and Chervil, and spoon into a salad bowl. Thoroughly grate in the zest of the lemon halve.

Season with a pinch of fleur de sel and freshly cracked black pepper, and Piment d'Espelette.

Drizzle generously with olive oil, and give a good stir, to mix.

Then, thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the lemon halve, stirring energetically until well-blended. Set aside.

Peel and finely chop shallots, and stir into the bowl, coating in oil, herbs and spices.

Finally, cut the Octopus into small chunks, and stir into the salad bowl. Toss well to generously coat in dressing.

Dice cucumber and halve the Cherry Tomatoes, and stir into the salad, coating well in dressing, too.

Place salad bowl in the refrigerator to chill, at least one hour.

Whether or not you're on holiday, the first spoonful of this beautifully fragrant Octopus Salad will so vividly take you to the seaside, you will hear the waves roll onto the sand! Happy Tuesday!

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):

a small bunch Garden Chives 

a few sprigs Garden Dill 

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Parsley

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Chervil 

½ lemon

a small garlic clove

a good pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette or (slightly less) Cayenne Pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 red onion

365 grams/1.8 pound cooked Octopus 

Finely chop Garden Chives, Dill, Parsley and Chervil, and spoon into a salad bowl. Thoroughly grate in the zest of the lemon halve.

Peel garlic clove, and grate it in, as well.

Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and Piment d'Espelette.

Drizzle generously with olive oil, and give a good stir, to mix.

Then, thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the lemon halve, stirring energetically until well-blended. Set aside.

Peel and finely chop red onion, and stir into the bowl, coating in oil, herbs and spices.

Finally, cut the Octopus into small chunks, and stir into the salad bowl. Toss well to generously coat in dressing.

Place salad bowl in the refrigerator to chill, at least one hour.

Fragrant and refreshing, this Cucumber Octopus Salad makes a delicious Summer lunch. Happy Friday!

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):

a small bunch Garden Chives 

a few sprigs Garden Dill 

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Chervil 

½ lemon

a good pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon Piment d'Espelette or (slightly less) Cayenne Pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

½ red onion

365 grams/1.8 pound cooked Octopus 

1/3 large cucumber, rinsed

Finely chop Garden Chives, Dill and Chervil, and spoon into a salad bowl. Thoroughly grate in the zest of the lemon halve.

Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and Piment d'Espelette.

Drizzle generously with olive oil, and give a good stir, to mix.

Then, thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the lemon halve, stirring energetically until well-blended. Set aside.

Peel and finely chop red onion, and stir into the bowl, coating in oil, herbs and spices.

Finally, cut the Octopus into small chunks, and stir into the salad bowl. Toss well to generously coat in dressing.

Dice cucumber, and stir into the salad, coating well in dressing, too.

Place salad bowl in the refrigerator to chill, at least one hour.

One of our neighbours further down the road --whom I have yet to meet-- very kindly suggested having a street party tonight, in the little park in the middle of our neighbourhood! Many of us replied we’d happily gather and feast, and everyone is bringing something. I made this refrshing and tasty Prawn and Octopus Pasta Salad, fragrant with herbs from my garden, which can feed a bunch and pairs very well with a good rosé!! What a wonderful idea, I’m looking forward to the evening! Whether you are spending it with your neighbours or not, a Happy Friday to you all, my friends!

Ingredients (serves 8 to 12):

500 grams/1.10 pound short pasta, like pipe rigate

1 Green Onion

3 sprigs Garden Chervil

3 sprigs Garden Parsley

1 small lemon

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce 

500 grams/1.10 pound cooked prawns, cooled

300 grams/10.5 ounces cooked octopus

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Stir in pasta, and cook, according to package’s directions, generally 9 to 11 minutes, until al dente.

Drain pasta thoroughly and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, finely chop  Green Onion, Garden Chervil and Garden Parsley. Spoon chopped herbs into a large salad bowl. Grate in the zest of the whole lemon. Add olive oil, and thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the whole lemon. Add caster sugar and Hot Pepper Sauce, and give a good stir until well-blended. Set aside.

Peel prawns and add them to the salad bowl. Give a good stir to coat.

Very thlny cut octopus, using a very sharp knife or a mandolin. Stir into the salad bowl, coating in dressing as well.

Finally, add the reserved pasta, whilst they are still warm, tossing gently with clean hands, to coat generously in dressing and mix well.

Chill in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours to overnight.

If you find Octopus at a good price at your fishmonger's, don't hesitate! It will be cheaper and better than buying it pre-cooked. And it doesn't require much effort to cook it, and will leave you with both delicious seafood and an excellent broth!

Ingredients (for a 1.4-kilo/3-pound octopus):

about 3 1/2 litres/14 cups water

1 large lemon

3 fluffy sprigs fresh rosemary

3 fluffy sprigs Garden Parsley

1/2 tablespoon coarse sea salt

1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

2 cups rosé or dry white wine (like Côtes de Provence)

a 1.4-kilo/3-pound octopus, prepared by your fishmonger

Pour water in a large pot. Halve lemon, and add to the pot, along with rosemary and Parsley. Bring to the boil over a high flame.

Once boiling, stir in coarse sea salt and black pepper until salt has dissolved.

Reduce heat to medium-high, and pour in the rosé.

Rinse octopus under cold water, and plunge it into the pot.

Cover with the lid, reduce heat to medium and simmer 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat, and carefully lift octopus out of its hot broth. Allow to cool completely.

Bien cocido tengo una textura y un olor muy característicos. Sin embargo, mi sabor está influenciado principalmente por los ingredientes utilizados junto con el método de cocción. Para obtener más información, visite nuestro sitio web https://mariscogalego.com/ o no dude en contactarnos.