Dalmatian Octopus Salad
Dalmatinska salata od hobotnice

This is a salad that seafood lovers will enjoy. A trick we learned from a friend, who is a native of Split in Dalmatia, is to boil the octopus with a few wine corks in order to help make it tender. Strange, but true; it really works. Serve with crackers or breadsticks.

Serves 4
1 large octopus, cleaned and rinsed
2 to 3 wine corks, if at all possible
1 red onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons capers (optional)

Pound the octopus with a meat mallet. Place in a saucepan with water to just cover
the octopus, add the wine corks. Simmer over medium heat for about 3 hours until
completely tender. Let cool in its cooking water, then chop or slice the octopus and place in salad bowl. Add the sliced onion. Season with olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. Add capers if desired.

$ Buy cleaned octopus at quality supermarkets and fish markets. You may also find octopus that is cleaned and frozen, just thaw and cook.
? Use fat-free or low-fat Italian dressing instead of the olive oil and vinegar.

Source: The Best of Croatian Cooking