Charred Octopus and White Bean Salad with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

This dish takes pre-cooked octopus and gives it a hard, fast sear so the edges turn smoky and crisp while the inside stays tender. Tossed warm with creamy white beans, lots of fresh parsley, garlic and a sharp lemon dressing, it turns into a brothy, satisfying salad that eats like a full meal but never feels heavy. A splash of the bean liquid loosens everything into a light pan sauce, so there's no cream or butter needed to make it taste rich. It's a weeknight-friendly plate: one hot pan, one bowl for the dressing, and under thirty minutes start to finish. The combination of lean seafood protein and fibre-rich beans makes for a filling, well-rounded dinner at a modest, easy-to-finish portion — smoky, citrusy and fresh rather than greasy or rich.

Ingredients

• 500 gCooked octopus tentacles, pre-cooked, patted very dry
• 2 cans (400 g each)cannellini beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 2 tbspolive oil, divided
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 cupfresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 wholelemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tbspred wine vinegar
• 0.5 tspRed chilli flakes, optional
• to tastesalt
• to tasteblack pepper
• 1 cupcherry tomatoes, halved

Method

1. Pat the cooked octopus tentacles very dry with paper towel; moisture will stop them from charring properly.
2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and chilli flakes in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until just smoking.
4. Add the octopus tentacles and sear, turning with tongs, until deeply charred on the edges, about 4-5 minutes total. 5:00
5. Remove the skillet from heat and roughly chop the charred octopus into bite-sized pieces on a cutting board.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the white beans, cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley. Add a splash of the reserved bean liquid to loosen.
7. Add the warm charred octopus to the bowl, pour over the lemon-parsley dressing, and toss gently to combine while everything is still warm.
8. Taste and adjust salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed, then divide into bowls and serve immediately while still warm.