Polpo alla Luciana

Polpo alla Luciana is one of the most famous octopus dishes in Neapolitan cuisine. The octopus is cooked in its own juices over low heat in a covered pot, without adding any water.

Ingredients

• Octopus 1200 g
• Olive oil 6 tbsp
• Garlic 3 cloves
• Cherry tomatoes 400 g
• Capers 1 tbsp
• Black olives 100 g
• Liquid tomato sauce (passata) 400 g
• Parsley 0.5 bunch
• Bread

Method

1. 1.First, clean the octopus: open the head and remove the internal organs without damaging the ink sac, then remove the eyes and the beak.
2. 2.In a heavy-bottomed pan, add olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, capers, and olives. Sauté and mix briefly.
3. 3.Add the tomato sauce and the octopus, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat.
4. 4.If the sauce is too thin, remove the octopus and simmer the sauce uncovered for 10–20 minutes to thicken.

Notes

• Frozen octopus is often already cleaned. Freezing affects the structure of the muscle fibers, which can result in a more tender texture when cooked.
• On average, an octopus takes about 40 minutes per 1 kg to cook, or 30–60 minutes in total. However, do not follow the time blindly.
• The best method is to cook the octopus over low heat and regularly check the thickest part: as soon as a knife or fork enters easily, stop cooking.
• The idea that the longer an octopus cooks, the more tender it becomes, or that strong boiling softens it faster, is wrong. If overcooked, it will lose its structure and fall apart.
• Since an octopus consists of about 80% water, its size can shrink significantly during cooking.