I’ve been wanting to visit my local fishmonger, which just happens to be a a major seafood distributor and some of the freshest catch imaginable. Best of all it’s right around the corner from my house!

When I read about how easy it was to cook octopus in an Italian cookbook I put two and two together.

One of these locally caught octopus cost me $18. I made short work of getting him in a pot. I did have some qualms especially after watching My Octopus Teacher, it did feel like I might be stewing a friend for dinner.

In the end, I’m glad I made the effort for this satisfying and unique salad that was truly a memorable meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 whole octopus

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sea salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 avocado chopped

1/4 cup chopped green olives

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:

Place octopus, tentacles first into a pot of boiling water. Add bay leaf and garlic. Allow to simmer on low for 1.5 hours.

After cooking time is over, strain octopus and chop into pieces. This is what my octopus looked like at the end of the cook time. The water was reddish.

Place chopped octopus into bowl with remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Serve cold or warm.