Octopus Salad – Portuguese recipe

We love octopus salad—actually, we enjoy all dishes that include octopus. Octopus salad is especially perfect for summer, being light and refreshing. It’s a simple dish that will delight your family.

This recipe also has the advantage of making the octopus stretch further per serving. You only need two or three medium-sized octopuses and some seasonal ingredients that complement the dish perfectly.

Octopus salad is a traditional dish in Portugal, especially in coastal areas. It can be served as an appetizer or a main course, and it’s commonly found in restaurants and local taverns. Typically, octopus salad consists of boiled octopus, chopped onions, garlic, parsley, or cilantro. In this version, we add several seasonal vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and pickles, which not only bring color and texture but also add freshness and enhance the natural flavors of the salad.

Below, we’ll explain how to make it and everything you need to prepare our version of the traditional Portuguese octopus salad.

A large oval platter filled with a colorful Octopus Salad. The dish contains pieces of octopus, chopped vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, onions and olives, garnished with herbs. The dish is placed on a tablecloth with a floral pattern. Perfect recipe!
Octopus salad is an ideal summer dish.

How to Cook Octopus

Although many people are intimidated by cooking octopus, there’s nothing to fear. There are two key factors to keep in mind. First, it’s easier and better to use frozen octopus. Thaw and cook it, or freeze fresh octopus before using. Freezing helps tenderize the fibers of the octopus.

Second, the octopus should be cooked for at least 45 minutes to become tender. In other recipes, we suggest using a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. However, in this recipe, we recommend cooking in a regular pot since the octopus will be used in a salad, and you want it to be as perfect as possible. It’s easier to control the texture in a regular pot.

Additionally, it would help if you blanched the octopus before cooking it, dipping it into boiling water three times for 30 seconds each. This allows the octopus to keep its skin firm and improves the final texture.

Tip

Do not add salt to the cooking water, as octopus is naturally salty. This will prevent the salad from becoming too salty, especially for those unfamiliar with cooking octopus.

A person holds a cooked octopus with a fork while cutting it with a knife in a kitchen. The octopus, ready for Octopus Salad, is suspended over a steaming pan. The kitchen background includes a stove, utensils.
To check if the octopus is cooked, stick a fork or knife into the beginning of the octopus tentacle.

Ingredients – Octopus Salad

Cooking the Octopus

  • 2 medium octopuses
  • Enough water to cover the octopuses
  • 1 medium onion sliced into half-moons
  • 2 garlic cloves halved
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 6 peppercorns (or to taste)
A raw octopus (octopus) sits in a floral-patterned bowl on a table covered with a floral cloth. Surrounding the bowl are an onion, garlic cloves, a dish of salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and a small dish containing liquid. The
Ingredients for cooking the octopus

Octopus Salad

  • 2 medium cooked octopuses
  • 2 bell peppers: red and green or yellow
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • Mixed pickles (about 100g or to taste)
  • Green or black olives to taste
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • White vinegar to taste, or juice of 1 lemon
  • Olive oil
  • 1 bunch of cilantro or parsley
Assorted chopped vegetables and ingredients are arranged in small bowls and plates on a floral tablecloth, perfect for an Octopus Salad Recipe. Items include tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs, olives, pickled vegetables, olive oil, a slice of lemon, capers and salt.
Ingredients for making octopus salad

Utensils

  • Medium pot
  • Strainer (to drain water)
  • Knife for cutting
  • Spoon
  • Fork

Preparation

  • Servings: 4 – 6 people, depending on whether it’s served as an appetizer or main course
  • Preparation time: 60 minutes (total time, including prep and cooking)
  • Difficulty level: Easy
Uma panela com tampa de vidro fica sobre uma toalha de mesa com padrão floral. Abaixo da panela, há uma espátula, uma faca de chef e uma espátula com fenda.
Utensílios necessários para fazer salada de polvo

Octopus Salad – Easy Step-by-Step Recipe

  1. Preparing the Ingredients:
    • Cut the onion and garlic into half-moons.
  1. Cooking the Octopus:
    • Blanch the octopus: In a pot, bring water to a boil and dip the octopus for 3 seconds. Remove the octopus and dip it in the boiling water for another 3 seconds. Repeat this process once more.
    • Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the octopus and let it cook over medium heat for 45 minutes with the lid on.
    • After 45 minutes, check if the octopus is cooked. To do this, insert a fork where the tentacle meets the body. If the fork slides in easily, without resistance, the octopus is fully cooked.
    • Remove the octopus from the pot and let it cool in a strainer. The drier, the better. Let the octopus cool completely before using it in the salad, as its texture improves when fully chilled.
A hand holds octopus tentacles over a pot of boiling water on a stove. The water contains bay leaves and other seasonings, perfect for a traditional Octopus Recipe. The image shows a cooking scene with octopus submerged in the pan.
Blanch the octopus – immerse the octopus in boiling water for 30 seconds
A whole octopus is being dipped in a pot of boiling water on the stove, perfect for preparing a traditional Octopus Salad. The water in the pan is cloudy, with slices of garlic floating on the surface. A bowl with other recipe ingredients is at the bottom.
Repeat the process three times
  1. Prepare the vegetables for the salad:
    • Chop the bell pepper, tomato, and onion into small pieces.
    • Roughly chop the pickles. The amount of pickles depends on your personal taste, but they add a tangy and strong flavor that we enjoy. Add a handful of mixed pickles, like those that come in jars with various vegetables.
    • Cut the olives into large pieces, as well as the cilantro or parsley, depending on your preference.
A table displays various chopped vegetables in bowls, including tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, onions and cilantro. There are also small dishes with black olives and capers. A person holds a bowl of diced tomatoes over an empty plate with a floral pattern, perfect for starting a Salad Recipe.
Mix all the previously chopped ingredients in a large bowl and mix everything.
  1. When the octopus has cooled, cut it into 1 to 2 cm pieces. Use your fingers as a guide; 1 finger is approximately 1 cm.
A cooked octopus sits in a yellow plastic colander on a wooden surface, ready to become a delicious *Octopus Salad*. The octopus is intact, with its tentacles well arranged.
Before cutting the octopus, let it cool and drain.
  1. Mix the octopus and the chopped vegetables in a large serving dish.
  2. Season to taste with olive oil and white vinegar or lemon (we personally prefer the taste of lemon with octopus), and add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Finally, garnish with cilantro or parsley and olives.

A person is pouring a yellow sauce over an Octopus Salad on a white platter. The salad contains chopped octopus, peppers, onions, olives and fresh herbs. A yellow pear and small plates are placed in the background on a floral tablecloth — perfect for any recipe.
Season the final salad with olive oil
A hand squeezes a lemon over a vibrant Octopus Salad, with chopped vegetables, olives and tender pieces of octopus on a white plate. The tablecloth sports a floral pattern, with small dishes of brown sauce in the background — a delicious recipe.
And with lemon or white vinegar

Sides and Serving

Octopus salad can be served as a main dish, appetizer, or snack. Generally, it’s a traditional Portuguese starter, often served in seafood restaurants or fish taverns. But here at home, during the summer, we often eat it as a main dish and love it.

A good wine pairing would be a fresh and aromatic white wine, with balanced acidity to contrast with the texture of the octopus. We recommend a Verde Wine or a wine from the Dão region.

Other Tips

  • Don’t overcook the octopus. In this recipe, you don’t want the octopus to fall apart; it should be tender but firm.
  • Let it cool completely before adding the octopus to the other ingredients. After all, it’s a salad, and you don’t want the vegetables to become soggy.
  • You can also add boiled potatoes to this recipe. It’s not traditional, but it works very well and makes the dish more substantial.
  • If you prefer a cold salad, store it in the fridge. You can also serve it with the octopus still warm, but the texture is better when cold.
  • This is a great recipe to make ahead and store in the fridge until serving. You can prepare it the day before, but we recommend only seasoning it when ready to serve.
  • The amount of octopus in this recipe can vary. To stretch the recipe, add more vegetables and less octopus.
A plate filled with a colorful mix of chopped vegetables, including red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, carrots and cauliflower, is being stirred with a spoon. A small plate of sliced ​​black olives sits next to the plate on a floral-patterned tablecloth; perfect to accompany your Octopus Salad recipe.
Mix all the ingredients for the octopus salad in a large serving dish.

Storage and Reuse

Octopus salad stores well in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Make sure to cover the dish with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container.

We don’t recommend freezing it, as it will significantly alter the texture of the ingredients, making it less pleasant.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoy and savor our octopus salad recipe. Try to use high-quality seasonal vegetables and feel free to make any adjustments you prefer. It’s an easy and versatile recipe, and we guarantee everyone will love it (as long as they like octopus).

We hope this recipe inspires you to cook more Portuguese dishes and share this rich culinary culture with your friends and family. Experiment, adapt, and most importantly, enjoy.

Bom Apetite!

Octopus Salad

Jorge Bastos
This octopus salad is a traditional Portuguese recipe, perfect as an appetizer or main dish, especially on warm summer days. Made with boiled octopus and a variety of fresh vegetables like tomato, bell peppers, onion, and pickles, it’s seasoned with olive oil, lemon, or vinegar and finished with cilantro or parsley and olives. It’s an easy and versatile recipe that can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge, making it ideal to share with friends and family.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine portuguese
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 Medium size pan
  • 1 Drain
  • 1 Knife for cutting
  • 1 Spoon
  • 1 Fork

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for cooking octopus

  • 2 Medium-sized octopus cooked
  • enough water to cover the octopuses in the pan
  • 1 medium onion cut into half-moons
  • 2 garlic cut in half
  • 2 Bay leaves to taste
  • Peppercorns to taste

Ingredients for Octopus Salad

  • 2 peppers: red and green or yellow
  • 1 big tomato
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • pickles in a jar to taste
  • green or black olives to taste
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 lemon (or white vinegar to taste)
  • 3 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
  • bunch parsley or cilantro

Instructions
 

Cook the Octopus

  • Cut the onions and garlic into half moons.
  • Blanch the octopus: Put boiling water in a pan and bathe the octopus for 3 seconds. Remove the octopus and place it back in the boiling water for 3 seconds. Repeat this process once more.
  • Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns to the octopus and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes with the pan covered.
  • After 45 minutes, check if the octopus is cooked. To do this, stick a fork at the junction of the tentacle and the octopus body. Check if you can easily stick the fork without resistance; if it is easy, the octopus is well-cooked.
  • Remove from the pan and let cool in a colander, the drier the better.

Making the Salad

  • Chop the pepper, tomato, and onion into small pieces.
  • Cut the pickles into coarse pieces; the quantity of pickles varies according to your taste.
  • Cut the olives into large pieces, as well as the parsley or cilantro, depending on which you prefer.
  • When the octopus is cooled, cut it into 1 to 2 cm pieces. Use your fingers as a guide; one finger is more or less 1 cm.
  • Add the octopus and cut vegetables to a large platter.
  • Season to taste with olive oil and white vinegar or lemon, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
  • At the end, garnish with parsley or coriander and olives.
Keyword Octopus

If you like octopus, we suggest other traditional recipes:

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Octopus salad - portuguese recipe
Portuguese octopus salad

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