Go Back

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.
Print Recipe
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