½teaspoonDiamond Crystal kosher saltor ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
¼teaspoonblack pepperfreshly ground
¼teaspoondried oregano
1tablespoonlemon juicefreshly squeezed, from ½ large lemon
3tablespoonsolive oilextra-virgin
Instructions
Remove the octopus tentacles from the package and place them on paper towels to remove excess liquid.
Cut the octopus into bite-size pieces. Place them in a glass or ceramic salad bowl.
Add the tomatoes, olives, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, dried oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. Gently toss to coat.
Serve immediately, or - for the best results - cover and let the salad rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Gently mix again and serve.
Video
Notes
Since this recipe relies on fully cooked octopus, it will only be as good as the octopus you purchase. Octopus is typically boiled until tender, then added to recipes as is or quickly grilled or sauteed. It can become tough and gummy when overcooked. I find that the octopus sold at Wild Fork Foods is excellent. Most pieces are nice and tender. Very few are gummy. It comes frozen, so fully defrost it before using it.
If you'd like to lower the sodium content, you can use less salt. The octopus and olives are pretty salty, so depending on your palate, you might find that added salt isn't needed. Taste and decide for yourself.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 1-2 days. But if the octopus you've used has already spent some time in the fridge, take that into account.