I buy octopus (
polpo) at either Joseph's Foods on W. Irving Park Rd or one of the fish stores on Harlem Ave. Octopus, like the other major edible cephalopods, benefits from either very short (a few minutes) or very long (45 minutes to an hour) cooking. Anything in between and you'll be chewing on rubber bands. Freezing does indeed improve the texture of octopus, but, I think, at a cost to flavor. Fresh tastes better, but is a little chewier.
For a relatively authentic Neapolitan
'a nsalata 'e mare, I recommend some combination of octopus, cuttlefish (
seppia), squid (
calimare), mussels, clams, and shrimp. I tend to go just with the octopus and maybe one other cephalopod. Boil whole cephalopods in salted water for 3-5 minutes. The bivalves (exteriors cleaned, but left in shells) for a minute or two (alternatively, you can toss them in a hot, covered sautee pan until they open, then dump them in with the rest of the completed salad). Likewise the shrimp. Drain and immediately plunge in an icewater bath to cool for ten minutes. Chop the cephalopoda into bite-size pieces, then marinate everything amply in the best olive oil you can afford (I prefer a Sicilian oil for this dish), the best young celery you can find (optional), broadleaf parsley, some minced garlic (again, optional), salt, and perhaps some hot red pepper. Lemon is optional, in my view, but authentic. Let everything marinate together for a few hours and, as G Wiv commands, "Enjoy."
As much as I like Freddy's, I've never liked their
insalata di mare: they cook it too long.
Hungry Lazzarone