Octopus salad Mediterranean style

Ingredients

5-6 oz octopus, fresh or frozen
1 medium carrot thinly sliced
1 or 2 sticks of celery, sliced
2-3 spoons of green olives
2 medium potatoes, boiled and sliced in cubes(optional)
vinaigrete made with the juice of half or entire lemon, 2 tbs of evo and a pinch or two of salt, according to taste

Directions:

Boil the octopus until completely cooked (roughly less than 1 hour) and let it get cold in its own water. This is the most important part of the recipe: if you want to keep its meat tender you have to leave it to cool immersed in its cooking water and don’t be tempted to wash it under running cold water, otherwise it will shrink immediatly and become as hard as wood to chew.
This part may take 2 to 3 hours, so it can be useful to prepare this salad in advance.
While the octopus is cooling down, slice the vegetables and prepare the citronette stirring the oil together with squeezed lemon and salt.
Once the octopus is ready, clean it from the non edible parts and cut it down in small pieces.Add the octopus to the greens and add the vinaigrette at the end.For a stonger taste, let it season for a couple of hours.
Enjoy this super-simple salad in the version without potatoes as a starter/appetizer,or add the potatoes and make it a complete, balanced and yummy meal!It’s easy to do and it hits the spot when you are looking for some fish/seafood to cook but don’t want to spend too much time in front of the stove,and its delicate taste will surely conquer even your guests!