Every spring we throw a huge Greek-inspired party that has me scurrying around all week preparing enough food to feed 75 people. Not everyone will eat the whole lamb I order for the party's main meal, so I surround it with a constellation of seafood dishes.

One of the big hits is this octopus salad, which is my version of a common meze (Greek appetizer) that always seems to attract the curious. The keys are to slow-cook the octopus and to make a fresh, green oregano oil to dress the salad.

Photo Copyright 2008 Hank Shaw