Octopus Salad With Cherry Tomatoes & Arugula

Thaw the octopus and cut off the head and beak. Place the octopus in a heavy saucepan with the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, wine, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until the octopus is fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. It will release a lot of liquid as it cooks and turn the cooking liquid purple, which is normal. Preheat your broiler or grill. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Remove the octopus from its cooking liquid and place on a baking sheet. Lightly brush the octopus with olive oil and then broil or grill until it begins to brown. Allow to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces and place in a salad bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes and arugula. Toss, then drizzle in just enough olive oil to lightly coat the greens and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently once more and arrange in individual serving bowls. Drizzle just a little of the aged balsamic over the salad in each bowl and serve.

Note: Aged balsamic can be quite expensive but a little does go a long way. If it is cost-prohibitive though, you can create a lower cost version (not as good but acceptable) by reducing regular balsamic vinegar on the stove top until it is thickened.

I was surprised to find that frozen octopus is actually easier to cook than its fresh cousin, as it tenderizes much quicker. This may seem like a lot of octopus when you are buying it, but octopus shrinks tremendously as it cooks.