Octopus Salad

Preparation time: 1 hour including unattended cooking time
Shelf-life: 1 to 2 days

INGREDIENTS
8 pounds cleaned fresh or defrosted frozen octopus
Salt
10 to 12 black peppercorns
8 ounces small capers, rinsed if in salt; drained if bottled
4 ounces finely diced celery
4 ounces finely diced red onion
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Cherry tomatoes or tomato roses, to garnish
Pitted kalamata or other oil-cured black olives, to garnish

Instructions
1.) Bring a large pot of water with about 1 tablespoon of salt and the peppercorns to a gentle boil. Add octopus. [Many chefs recommend adding a cork to the cooking water to tenderize the octopus.] Gently cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 to 60 minutes. Drain, cool in cold water and then remove and blot dry. Cut into ½-inch pieces.

2.) In a large bowl, combine octopus, capers, celery, onion, olive oil and lemon juice. Add parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again.

To serve individually, place on top of lettuce leaves or use 3-ounce hollow ring molds, spoon salad into the molds and, using a spatula, transfer them each to the center of a large plate. Unmold, garnish with three basil leaves, a cherry tomato or tomato rose, and a black olive in the center. Sprinkle black pepper, drizzle oil and serve.

I. Gourmet Salts:

Until recently salt was considered a basic commodity. But salt isn't just salt anymore, thanks to recent discoveries made by gourmet chefs, in homes and in restaurants all over the world. People are learning to how to specify and characterize the different qualities each variety of sea salts bring to the table. Salt is used to enhance the different flavors used in a dish and as a topping on finish dishes. The purpose of this reference guide is to help you pin point what salt to use in this or that next creative dish!

Table of Contents: • Black Salt • Celtic Salt • Coarse Salt

1. Black Salt, Celtic Salt and Coarse Salt: Black salt is an unrefined mineral salt. It is pearly pinkish gray rather than black, and has a strong, sulfuric flavor. Celtic salt refers to naturally moist salts harvested from the pristine Atlantic seawater off the coast of Brittany, France. These salts are hand harvested using the Celtic method of wooden rakes allowing no metal to touch the salt. Celtic salts are available in coarse, stone ground fine and extra fine grain. Coarse salt is a larger grained sea salt crystal. It is less moisture sensitive so it resists caking and is easily stored. Uses, salt crusts on meat or fish, and flavoring for soups, stews and pasta.

Black Truffle salt? Vintage Merlot salt? How about Thai Ginger, or Aged Balsamic salt? Which one doesn't sound delicious? It seems here that creatively knows no bounds. When I saw a speciality, gourmet magazine's advertisement show casing a new product line that was fusing these natural flavors together, I was excited. Think of the possibilities to conjure up the next time you strap on your apron. One of the great aspects about cooking is imagining all the different food concoctions to explore.