Tunisian octopus salad
Salatet el karnit: Kerkennah's tender boiled octopus with onion, parsley, lemon and olive oil
Fishermen of the Kerkennah islands, off Sfax, still catch octopus in clay pots laid on the shallow seabed, and in winter the season's catch turns up in harbour cafés and home kitchens as this simple salad. The octopus is simmered slowly until tender, cooled in its broth, then sliced and tossed with red onion, plenty of parsley, lemon juice and good olive oil, with a little harissa if you like. It is light, clean and briny, eaten as a starter with bread or on a summer table of salads and grilled fish. Buy octopus from a reputable fishmonger; frozen and thawed octopus is often more tender than fresh. A common mistake is boiling the octopus at a rolling boil, which makes it rubbery; keep it at a gentle simmer until a knife slides in easily. Chef's tip: let the cooked octopus cool in its cooking liquid for 20 minutes before slicing; it stays juicy rather than tightening up.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the octopus
- 2 ⅝ lb whole octopuscleaned, beak and ink sac removed; thawed in the fridge if frozen
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
For the salad
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 1 clove garliccrushed
- 3 tbsp lemon juicefrom about 1½ lemons
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp harissa (optional)
- 12 black olives (optional)
- 4 lemon wedges (optional)to serve
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Holding 2 ⅝ lb whole octopus by the head, dip the tentacles into the water for 3 seconds and lift out; repeat three times until the tentacles curl.
10 minStep 2: Lower the octopus in completely, bring back to a gentle simmer and cook with the lid ajar over a low heat. Keep it at a lazy bubble; a hard boil makes octopus rubbery.
Step 3: After 45 minutes, test the thickest part of a tentacle with a skewer. It is done when the skewer slides in as easily as into a boiled potato; if not, cook on and test every 10 minutes, up to 60 minutes in total.
55 minStep 4: Turn off the heat, add 1 tsp salt and leave the octopus to cool in its liquid for 20 minutes. Lift it out and rub off any loose purple skin, keeping the suckers.
20 minStep 5: Cut the tentacles into 1 cm slices and the head into strips. Toss with 1 red onion, 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley and 1 clove garlic in a bowl.
Step 6: Whisk 3 tbsp lemon juice, 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tsp harissa (if using) with a pinch of salt and pour it over. Toss and leave for 15 minutes in the fridge for the flavours to soak in.
15 minStep 7: Serve cool, scattered with 12 black olives and with 4 lemon wedges if you like. Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge and eat within a day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tunisian octopus salad take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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