The clement weather put me in the mood to come up with this Greek-inspired octopus dish. Warm weather can make cold dishes appeal all the more and I was exactly in the mood for this satisfying octopus salad and a combination of flavours that work well as sharing platters.
All Greek to me
Yes, I know some people get all misty-eyed where eating octopus is concerned—we've all seen that Netflix documentary—but if you've ever caught them yourself, you might not be convinced of their extreme intelligence. Either way, I love octopus and it was too good an opportunity to let pass. This Greek octopus salad and broad beans with a Greek salad-style "salsa" proved the perfect context.
These quantities work well for two to three diners, depending on how hungry you are and how much your appetite is affected by the heat.
Shopping list
for the Greek octopus salad
150 to 200g octopus carpaccio. Yes, you can do it from scratch (I will be publishing that recipe at a later date) but I used a very good pre-prepared carpaccio liberated from the chill cabinet of a local specialist deli
Approx. 400g baby potatoes, scrubbed, skins on
2 or 3 grilled red peppers. Pre-prepare them using this method, though the jar version by a good Mediterranean producer is perfectly fine. Slice into long strips.
3 tbspns of Capucine capers of other small capers
Mayonnaise or alternative dressing; see below
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
for the koukia
Approx. 175g broad beans, fresh or frozen, steamed and cooled
The zest of ½ a fresh lemon
A generous sprig of fresh mint, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
for the Greek salad "salsa"
⅓ a medium cucumber
10 to 12 pitted black olives
7 or 8 small, fully ripe tomatoes such as cherry tomatoes
50 to 70g good feta cheese
A little extra virgin olive oil
A little balsamic vinegar
Cooking Method
In many ways, there isn't so much a cooking method to this one as an assembly method. You only need to cook two ingredients and to chop all the others as required before pulling it together to bring to the table. The cooked ingredients should be prepared with enough time to make sure they can fully cool before pulling it all together. The great thing is that much of this can be done hours, even a day before, as long as they are appropriately stored in the fridge before serving.
the cooked things
Scrub the baby potatoes and boil them in their skins in lightly salted water. They should be fully cooked so that a fork passes easily into the flesh, but avoid overcooking them to the point that they begin to crumble. Drain and allow to entirely cool. You can do this the day before and store them in a sealed container in the fridge
Steam the broad beans. My preferred method is to use a microwave steamer, but the more old-fashioned stove-top method works just fine. Do not boil them: you'll be pouring the best nutrients away. Drain off any excess moisture and dress with a little extra virgin oil while still hot. Grate over the fresh lemon zest, add chopped mint and stir both in. Allow to cool at room temperature
the assembly Line
You might find a preferred sequence for coordinating it all. It really doesn't matter too much because each of these dishes can be pre-prepared to a certain degree. Just ensure that they have sufficient time to return to room temperature before serving. Here is my preferred sequence...
for the Greek salad "salsa"
This is exactly what it says on the tin: a classic Greek salad, here reformulated on a scale more akin to a salsa or sambal
Finely cube/cut all of the ingredients on a far smaller scale than for a classic Greek salad (think of it as the "dolls' picnic" of a Greek salad) and gently mix together
Dress with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar just before going to table. Top tip: if preparing it hours or the day before, don't dress with the olive oil and vinegar since this will discolour the salad after a few hours. Instead, dress with a little fresh lemon juice and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Dress it once it has been returned to room temperature, just before you take it to table
for the "koukia"
The term "koukia" can be confusing because it seems to refer to both broad beans and white beans in regional Greek cuisines, both the dried version (which are sometimes eaten much like nuts as a snack) as well as to side dishes such as this one I first tasted in Crete and have loved ever since. Hands up, I am a big broad bean fan.
Steam and prepare the broad beans in the method described above
If you've prepared them earlier or the day before, allow them to return to room temperature. If necessary, dress with a dab more olive oil and extra fresh lemon zest before taking to table
Alternatively, this dish is actually delicious warm. Prepare exactly according the method above and take to table while still piping hot
for the octopus salad
Extremely easy to put together, though you may want to weigh up your dressing options.
If using a pre-prepared octopus carpaccio dressed with a percentage of olive olive (most are) open the packaging and remove the individual pieces of octopus, placing them in a clean colander or sieve; something that will allow the excess liquid to drain off slowly and steadily
Cut the pre-cooked and cooled baby potatoes into slices or bite-sized pieces, leaving the skins on, and place in a bowl
Add the capers and gently fold in. Next, dress with a generous amount of the dressing of your choice. My personal favourite is a good mayonnaise with added lemon juice and a dab of smoked garlic purée. But you can take it in almost any direction: feeling more in a Spanish mood, use aioli; feeling a bit French, a classic vinaigrette; etc. You can even go in the dieters' yoghurt dressing direction. The important part is that it should be well dressed, but not entirely smothered. Any mistakes made in the prep bowl should stay in the prep bowl before plating
Finally, dress with a little freshly, roughly ground black pepper. Don't stir it in: plating will do all that's needed
Gently plate the dressed potato base into the serving dish, whether individual plates or a sharing platter
Layer strips of the grilled red pepper over the potato base, roughly in a grid pattern
Finally add the octopus carpaccio pieces and take all of the dishes to table
A couple of additional notes...
This is a fairly "carb-heavy" dish already, but the Greek salad salsa in particular is fantastic with lightly toasted or grilled pita bread, whether you just want to give in to indulgence or stretch your quantities
Of course you can plate this up as a meal for individual diners, but I find it really suited to bring to table tapas-style as sharing platters at which people can pick according to their appetite and preferences, especially in warmer weather
Alternatives
For a veggie version, simply leave out the octopus and double up on the grilled red peppers or replace with another suitable grilled vegetable such as aubergines or artichokes.
Similarly, to make this dish vegan, use your preferred alternative to feta (or simply leave it out) and look to the veggie version for the rest
Okay, so some pescatarians or even people who eat meat have this strange psychology about not eating cephalopods. Marinated anchovies or smoked mussels or oysters work just a well as alternatives. Otherwise go veggie or vegan
Pairings
Through pure coincidence I've mostly enjoyed this dish with iced mint and lemon tea, making wily use of the ingredient leftovers. It's great with that. Naturally it also works well with dry whites. Tonight I had it with a Nik Weis Selection Urban Riesling 2020 that I managed to get my hands on unexpectedly. It was a shockingly good wine at the price. But so was my dish, darlings. So it all worked out nice in the end.
Karel, of course, will be the ultimate arbiter...
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