You’ll need cooked octopus for this recipe. Vacuum-packed cooked octopus may be bought in supermarkets and from fish distributors. (See instructions beneath in case you have entire, raw octopus.) The cooked octopus tentacles are prepared for use straight from the package deal. However, for this salad, I selected so as to add taste by grilling the octopus tentacles on a plancha earlier than reducing them up.
As a substitute of octopus, you should use any mixture of shellfish and fish that you just like—lobster and mussels, crab and scallops, monkfish and shrimp. You get the concept. Though not conventional, a little bit chopped jalapeño is a pleasant addition.
Serve the salpicón as a starter, as you’ll shrimp cocktail, with shredded lettuce within the cocktail cups. Unfold it on a platter or shallow bowl for a buffet meal. Toss it with cooked pasta shells for one of the best pasta salad you’ve ever had!
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| Diced octopus and shrimp with peppers for salpicón. |
Serves 6 as a starter
8 ounces small shrimp
8 ounces cooked octopus tentacles
Oil for the grill pan
6 tablespoons further virgin olive oil
1 cup diced inexperienced pepper
1 cup diced purple bell pepper
1 cup chopped spring onion
1 small clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)
Pinch of cayenne
3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
Salt
Freshly floor black pepper
1 hard-cooked egg chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salad greens, to serve (non-obligatory)
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| Prepare dinner, peel shrimp for salad. |
To cook dinner the shrimp, have prepared a bowl of ice water. Carry a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp. When water returns to a boil, take away the pan from the warmth. Let the shrimp set 1 minute. Drain the shrimp and place them within the bowl of ice water. As soon as cooled, drain the shrimp effectively and peel them. Minimize them in items, roughly ¾ inch. Refrigerate till prepared to make use of.
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| Octopus tentacles on grill pan. |
Warmth a grill pan and brush it with oil. Grill the octopus tentacles till they’re very calmly browned, about 1 minute per aspect. Take away them from the grill and permit them to chill. When the octopus is cool, use kitchen scissors to chop it into ¾ -inch items. Place them in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the additional virgin olive oil. Cowl and refrigerate till able to make the salad.
For the dressing, place the crushed garlic in a small bowl or jar. Add the pimentón, cayenne, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper.Stir to combine effectively, then whisk in (or shake) the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil.
Mix the 2 sorts of peppers, onions, chopped egg and half of the chopped parsley in a mixing bowl. Add the cut-up shrimp and octopus. Add the dressing and stir gently to mix. Cowl and chill the salad at the very least half-hour or as much as 4 hours.
Serve the salad on a platter or in particular person dishes, with salad greens, if desired. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley.
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| Serve salpicón with chunks of bread or crackers for dunking. Pictured are items of regañá, a crispbread typical of Andalusia. |
Steak Salad
Salpicón de Carne
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| Steak salad may very well be served as a fundamental dish. Add greens, sliced radish, tomatoes. |
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| Grilled entrecôte steak. |
I used thinly-cut entrecôte steak for this recipe, cooking it on a ridged grill pan to medium-rare. Any tender steak can be utilized, char-grilled or pan-cooked. Alternatively, use deli-sliced roast beef. Use any cooked ham. I used lacón, Galician smoked shoulder-ham.
Soaking the slivered onions in salt and vinegar smooths out the onion’s harshness. They don’t seem to be a real pickle. You’ll not want the entire sliced onion for the steak salad. Maintain the rest lined and refrigerated.
By the way in which, Sherry vinegar, though mellow in taste, is definitely extra acidic (7 p.c) than white or purple wine vinegar (6 p.c). If substituting one for an additional, add roughly, to style.
Serves 3-4 as a fundamental dish.
