Roasted Octopus Salad with Parsley Potatoes

🧾 General Information

• Category: Appetizer / Seafood Main Course
• Servings: 4
• Food cost target: 28–34%
• Service time: 6 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

⚖️ Portion Sizes

• Cooked and roasted octopus: 160 g
• Parsley potatoes: 120 g
• Mixed cherry tomatoes: 40 g
• Crunchy celery: 10 g
• Lemon mayonnaise: 10 g
• Extra virgin olive oil: 5 ml

🧾 Total Ingredients (4 servings)

Octopus

• 1.2 kg whole octopus
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 white onion
• 1 bay leaf
• black peppercorns
• salt

Parsley Potatoes

• 600 g baby potatoes
• 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
• chopped fresh parsley
• salt
• pepper

Finishing

• 250 g mixed cherry tomatoes in yellow, red and green
• 2 celery stalks
• 40 g lemon mayonnaise
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• grated lemon zest

⚙️ Base Preparation (Prep)

Octopus

• Cook the octopus in aromatic water with carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf.
• Cool it in its cooking liquid.
• Cut and portion the tentacles.
• Roast quickly on a griddle or very hot pan before service.

Potatoes

• Cook the potatoes with their skin in salted water.
• Cool, peel and cut into thick slices.
• Season with olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley.

Crunchy Celery

• Slice the celery very thinly using a mandoline or vegetable peeler.
• Immerse in ice water to curl and make it crispy.

👨‍🍳 Service Procedure

1. Warm the potatoes slightly.
2. Roast the octopus until golden on the outside.
3. Arrange the potatoes on the base of the plate.
4. Add the mixed cherry tomatoes.
5. Place the octopus in the center.
6. Finish with crunchy celery and small dots of lemon mayonnaise.
7. Complete with extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and lemon zest.

🔑 Critical Control Points (CCP)

• Octopus: avoid overcooking during boiling.
• Roasting: quick and at high temperature.
• Potatoes: not overcooked to avoid breaking.
• Celery: must remain crispy.
• Balance: the dish should be fresh and not overly seasoned.

🍽️ Plating

• Large deep plate with stone or handcrafted ceramic effect.
• Potatoes arranged in a circular pattern.
• Octopus in the center with height and volume.
• Cherry tomatoes distributed on the side for color.
• Crunchy celery placed on top of the octopus.
• Finish with:
  • lemon mayonnaise
  • fresh parsley
  • lemon zest
  • drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Premium Option

• black olive powder
• Taggiasca olives
• parsley emulsion
• fresh sprouts

🛠️ Recommended Professional Equipment

All the equipment listed is available for purchase on Ristorazione-Refrigerazione.it.

• Professional boiler for cooking octopus.
• Blast chiller for rapid cooling.
• Professional griddle for roasting the octopus.
• Cutter or blender for emulsions and mayonnaise.

💰 Estimated Food Cost

• Cost per portion: ~€2.82
• Recommended selling price: €16–22 depending on the venue

🔄 Menu Adaptability

• Seafood bistro: iconic and versatile dish.
• Mid-range restaurant: elegant and fresh proposal.
• Gourmet: easily enriched with citrus or crunchy elements.

🧠 Professional Logic

Dish designed for:

• strong visual impact
• advance preparation
• excellent service holding
• balance between freshness and crunchiness

Final quality depends on the proper cooking of the octopus, the texture of the potatoes and the contrast between crunchy celery and fresh tomatoes.