Octopus Panzanella with Crispy Olive Oil Croutons

Name: Octopus Panzanella with Crispy Olive Oil Croutons
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 whole Octopus; 1 Lemon; 2 Garlic cloves; 2 Bay leaves; 1 handful Parsley stalks; 2 tbsp Olive oil; Salt; Black pepper; 400–500 g Tomatoes; 200 g Sourdough or ciabatta; 4–5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil; 1 small Red onion or banana shallot; 1 bunch Fresh basil; 1 tbsp Capers; Flaky sea salt; Black pepper; 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 1/2 Lemon juice; 1 small Garlic clove; 1 tsp Caper brine; 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard; Tomato juices; Salt; Black pepper

Like previously mentioned in my charred courgette salad recipe, I love a salad with a nice hit of contrast. The octopus panzanella is the epitome of this. Rich, golden croutons, swimming in olive oil, crispy octopus and of course, sweet tomatoes dressed in plenty of punchy vinegar to cut right through all of it. Every mouthful is absolutely BURSTING with flavour. Adding octopus turns it into something a little more substantial, but I still want this to feel like a tomato salad first and foremost. Basil should, in my opinion, always be used liberally. And I mean loads of it. I pretty much treat the basil like another salad leaf rather than a garnish.

Prep

20m

Cook

1h 45m

Total

2h 5m

Octopus Panzanella with Crispy Olive Oil Croutons

Like previously mentioned in my charred courgette salad recipe, I love a salad with a nice hit of contrast. The octopus panzanella is the epitome of this. Rich, golden croutons, swimming in olive oil, crispy octopus and of course, sweet tomatoes dressed in plenty of punchy vinegar to cut right through all of it. Every mouthful is absolutely BURSTING with flavour. Adding octopus turns it into something a little more substantial, but I still want this to feel like a tomato salad first and foremost. Basil should, in my opinion, always be used liberally. And I mean loads of it. I pretty much treat the basil like another salad leaf rather than a garnish.

Prep

20m

Cook

1h 45m

Total

2h 5m

Ingredients

Method

Turn cooking mode on

Step 1

Bring a large pan of water to a gentle simmer and add the lemon, garlic, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Lower in the octopus and cook gently for around 1½ hours, or until the thickest part of a tentacle can easily be pierced with a small knife. Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil so the octopus stays tender.

For

For the octopus

whole

Octopus, around 1–1.2kg

Lemon, halved