Octopus and potato salad is a favorite dish all along the Italian coast. You can find it in practically every Tuscan and Ligurian port. Cleaning the octopus involves removing the eyes, beak, and innards, and rinsing under cold water—this is often already done when bought from a fishmonger or at a supermarket or if you have bought it frozen, but at my fresh-off-the-boat fisherman’s shop front, they are just as they were pulled out of the water. <br /> <br />Freezing the fresh octopus helps to tenderize it; alternatively, you can buy it already frozen and defrost it at home. <br /> <br />If you have a larger octopus, 45 to 60 minutes of cooking usually suffices. Baby octopus cooks in a much shorter time; 20 minutes can be plenty. <br /> <br />Once cooled and chopped into pieces, it makes a delicious salad with potato, thinly-sliced celery, a handful of parsley, and a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice (if you like, black olives go nicely here, too). Eat it room temperature or chilled—on a hot day, this is one of my very favorite meals.

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