Polpo (Octopus) Salad
( Polpo all’Insalata - Purpu Cunzatu )
Polpo salad is a common appetizer served in Palermo. The best polpo salad is found in small trattorie, where the octopus is simply dressed in garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon and a small stalk of celery for flavor. In fancy restaurants, the polpo salad is served with exotic spices, mayonnaise, senape, the mustard, and they place it on top of crackers, in a large and beautiful dish decorated with thick balsamic vinegar; and although the presentation is an exceptional masterpiece of modern design, the taste of the octopus gets lost among the various flavorful condiments.
At Joe’s on Avenue U, our family’s Sicilian eatery in Brooklyn, NY , we prepared and served a lot of polpo everyday: we gave large portions of polpo freshly dressed in garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon and garnished with a few pieces of celery; with the polpo, we served to our customers some fragrant and spongy Sicilian style bread and a lettuce salad to complete a fulfilling and outstanding lunch.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs polpo, cooked (as shown in the “Boiled Octopus (Polpo)” recipe)
- 2 cloves of garlic-chopped
- 2 lemons
- Chopped parsley (small bunch)
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- few flakes of red pepper (Optional)
- salt, pepper
- 1 small stalk of celery chopped for garnish
Instructions
Cut the polpo in small bite size pieces and place it in a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix the olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, garlic, ½ of the parsley, red pepper (optional) ½ teaspoon of salt and some pepper, and dress the polpo with it. Taste for salt.
Serve at room temperature and garnish with celery and remaining parsley.