Octopus carpaccio with Kalamata olives sauce and potatoes

• 15 minutes to prepare • 20 minutes to cook  • Serves 4

V. Carpaccio

Octopus carpaccio is a cold dish made of boiled octopus, which is pressed and then cut into thin slices.
Octopus is a low-calorie mollusc as it has 140 kcal per 100 g after being boiled. Octopus carpaccio can thus be considered a low-calorie dish, too, suitable for diet periods (sigh!).

Octopus carpaccio is a mysterious, recent invention which takes its cue from the original carpaccio of raw meat, created in the 50s.
This recipe follows the trend of fish-based salumi (such as tuna, swordfish, sea bass or yellowtail), but it is the only carpaccio to be prepared after cooking, as the octopus is not suitable to be eaten raw.

Octopus carpaccio can be served as a standalone starter - dressed with a vinaigrette of EVO oil, lemon, salt and pepper - or it can be combined with vegetables.
Today we will employ it in a sumptuous appetizer of potatoes, topped off with a tasty sauce of Kalamata olives and almonds. So yummy, you won't believe!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

200 g octopus carpaccio
1 kg small potatoes
80 g Kalamata olives
40 g almonds
2 anchovy fillets in oil
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Pour 500 ml of water in a large pot and bring to boil. Meanwhile, wash and brush well the potatoes. As soon as the water boils, dip unpeeled potatoes in the pot, and go on with the cooking for about 15 minutes
2. Meanwhile, we can prepare the olives sauce: blend the olives with almonds, anchovies fillets and 3 tablespoons of EVO oil. If you prefer a smooth sauce put a little more oil and blend a lot; if you like it milder, blend it a little less (I personally love the latter way)
3. Drain and peel potatoes. Then, dice them (cubes with 1 cm side)
4. Season both the potatoes and the octopus carpaccio slices with salt and 1 tablespoon of EVO oil each. Keep them still separate dough
5. Put on a serving plate a little of olives sauce giving it a circular shape. Lie down a first layer of potato dices, then a layer of octopus carpaccio on top. Finish off with a small amount of sauce.
   Repeat this sequence until you finish all the ingredients. When you are done, try to resist the temptation to taste it before bringing to your guests...and finally enjoy it!!!

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

About half a century ago, Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice, prepared a raw beef dish for the countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo who was forbidden by her doctor to eat chunks of cooked meat.
The dish was named carpaccio after Vittore Carpaccio, the renowned Venetian painter known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.
A brand new legend was born.