Octopus and White Bean Salad

There's a Greek seafood restaurant near our house called Dmitri's. Often, when we walk by, the exhaust fan is blowing the most delicious smells from their kitchen. I'm convinced that it's the aroma of octopus charring on the grill that smells so good. At another restaurant, the grilled octopus had such a nice browned crust than it stuck in my teeth like candy. Although I enjoy having octopus when eating out, I have never tried to cook it at home. Until now.

I had every intention of grilling the two octopus legs to try to create the chewy yet crisp crust that I had enjoyed in the restaurants. While I didn't achieve the kind of crust that sticks in ones teeth, the crispy yet chewy bits of octopus were certainly a joy to eat. The trick to getting the octopus tender is to boil it until it is soft, which may take a while. Once the flesh is soft, the crust is formed on the grill or in a hot pan. I used the broiler but I will try a pan next time for better heat control and more of a searing effect.

Nadia has made the white bean salad before so I knew the basic idea of what I was going for: white beans dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. The details I mostly made up. The parsley was a no-brainer: it goes with everything. I added the onion and scallion for texture and for their spicy flavor. The mint was an idea I got from a similar white bean and seafood salad from Mario Batali. Although I was hesitant to add mint, when I tried the mix with just parsley, it tasted like it already had mint in it. Now that the mint is actually there, the flavor reminds me of the tabbouleh my father used to make.

Octopus and White Bean Salad

2 octopus legs
2 cups (about 1 can) cooked white beans
1 scallion, sliced thin
1/4 onion, sliced thin
1 tbs mint leaves, minced
1 tbs flat leaf parsley, minced
juice from 2 lemons
3-4 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Boil the octopus in water until it is tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together until the mixtures begins to thicken. Add parsley and mint. Toss the beans, onions and scallions gently into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the octopus is tender, remove it from the water and scrape off the now gooey, reddish, purple skin. Preheat the broiler (or grill) and cut the octopus into smallish chunks. Slather the chunks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil or grill the octopus until it develops a nice brown crust, about 5 minutes. Add the octopus to the bean mixture and serve immediately.