Polpo alla Luciana

I was having a serious craving for octopus (doesn’t everyone?!!) and looked online for a great recipe. What I found was Polpo alla Luciana, which suited me perfectly. Originating from Naples, it’s octopus in a garlic-y red sauce with olives and capers. Perfection.

The recipe I found is from the blog Vincenzo’s Plate, but I also checked out Frank’s blog Memorie di Angelina just for verification that this was indeed a traditional Italian recipe. The only difference is that Frank uses cherry tomatoes, and Vincenzo uses canned.

Having never cooked a whole octopus before, the whole prospect of creating this meal was very exciting. I’ve been told that frozen octopus is the way to go because the freezing tenderizes it. So that’s what I purchased online.

He thawed slowly in my refrigerator for 2 days, then I let him sit at room temperature for a couple of hours before beginning the head-removal operation. I was really fascinated by this beautiful creature.

I couldn’t help myself – I added cayenne pepper flakes to the Polpo alla Luciana. It was exquisite.

Polpo alla Luciana
Printable recipe below

28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes
Large raw octopus
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pitted black olives, preferably Gaeta
2 tablespoons capers
Small bunch fresh parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Loaf of bread

Start by crushing the peeled tomatoes by hand in a large bowl and leave them to the side. I used already crushed tomatoes from New Jersey – they’re a wonderful product.

Starting with the eyes of the octopus, cut around the head with a good pair of kitchen scissors. Discard the head unless you want it for a certain purpose. (Unfortunately I had no reason to keep the head.)

Grab the beak and cut it off as well.

Place a large pan on the stove over medium heat and add the crushed garlic along with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of water.

Place the octopus tentacles in first, allowing them to spread out in the pan. Cover with a lid and leave to cook just for a few minutes. Remove the lid, add some water, and cook, covered, for another 3-5 minutes.

Flip the octopus using tongs and cook it for 5 more minutes.

Make sure the octopus releases all of its water. At this point, cut the tentacles into pieces a few inches long. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook on low heat for 40 minutes, uncovered. Add the olives, capers, and parsley.

Add some salt and pepper, and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Even after cooking for 40 minutes, the sauce was on the thin side to me so I added a tablespoon of tomato paste.

Slice up bread to serve with the octopus and thick, red sauce.

My octopus weighed 3.36 pounds before prepping. The sauce was the perfect ratio to the octopus.