Octopus Salad with Spring Onions & Peppers

Ingredients

Pulpo vinagreta SERVES 6 AS A STARTER

450–500g cooked octopus
Half a red onion (approx. 75g)
75g piece (about ½) seeded
red pepper
75g piece (about ½) seeded
green pepper
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed
and thickly sliced on the
diagonal
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
120ml extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, very fi nely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
Crusty fresh bread, to serve

Method

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces: The tentacles into slices about 7–8mm thick, and the head into similar-sized pieces.

Cut the red onion lengthways into arc-shaped slices. Cut the red and green pepper lengthways into slices then across into small chunky pieces. Put the octopus into a large mixing bowl with the red onion, peppers and spring onions.

Whisk the vinegar, oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper together in a small bowl, pour over the octopus and vegetables and stir together well. Serve with some crusty fresh bread.

Notes from the author in 'Rick Stein's Spain':

I had this as a first course in a very everyday sort of restaurant in the fishing village of Santoña, near Laredo in Cantabria. I love going into somewhere you’d never find in a food guide where the food is simple, local stuff. I also find this sort of restaurant in northern Spain quite charming because they are decorated, or rather over-decorated, in a style that suits the whims of the owners.

In this case the owner was obviously a massive fan of hunting. There were pictures of shooting and fishing on every wall, guns everywhere, stuff ed heads, and trophies all over the place. This salad made with just a few local ingredients – red and green peppers, spring and red onions, a little garlic and olive oil – seemed entirely appropriate and rather a good way of serving sliced octopus.