Polpo alla Luciana
Octopus cooked in its own water
Neapolitan polpo alla luciana: octopus braised low in a sealed pot with tomatoes, olives and capers until fork tender.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 45 min
- Serves
- 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 octopus, about 3 lbs, cleaned
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup black olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 3 garlic cloves
- Chili flakes, parsley, olive oil
Instructions
- 01
No water needed. Put the octopus in a heavy pot with everything else. It releases plenty of its own liquid.
- 02
Seal it. Cover tightly, ideally with parchment under the lid, and set the lowest possible heat.
- 03
Braise 90 minutes. Cook until a knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
- 04
Reduce and rest. Uncover, reduce the sauce for 10 minutes, then rest before slicing.
Larry’s rule: Frozen octopus is better than fresh here — freezing breaks down the muscle for you.