If you love Mediterranean flavors and seafood, this delicious Mediterranean Octopus Salad made with tender octopus, creamy potatoes, and olives is a must- try.
Mediterranean Octopus Salad
This Mediterranean Octopus Salad is inspired by the coastal regions of Greece, Italy, and Spain, and it can be served as a light meal or appetizer alongside a crisp glass of white wine. Adding potatoes makes the salad even more filling while complementing the octopus. The potatoes absorb all the olive oil and vinegar goodness, making this dish even more delicious. For convenience, I am using pre-cooked octopus, but I also included instructions if you want to cook it from scratch. For other seafood salads, try my Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Salad, Chilled Calamari Salad and this delicious Italian Shrimp Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Octopus Salad
I love octopus and always order it when I’m out. However, I was always intimidated by the idea of making it at home until I took a cooking class and learned how easy it is. But knowing you might find it difficult, I used pre-
cooked octopus from FreshDirect, but you can also find it at Costco or online. If you want to cook it yourself, see the directions below.
If you make this octopus salad recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
What You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this easy Mediterranean octopus salad. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Peewee Potatoes are tiny baby potatoes. You can use all one color or a mix of white and red.
- Octopus: El Rey del Pulpo (translated to “The king of octopus”) is a popular brand sold at Costco. I also buy frozen and cooked from Fresh Direct or Whole Foods. Chop it into small pieces.
- Olives: I love kalamata or Gaeta olives, which are similar to kalamata, in this salad.
- Aromatics: Minced or grated garlic and thinly sliced shallots
- Parsley for color and freshness
- Octopus Salad Dressing: Lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt, and black pepper
How to Make Octopus Salad
If you start with cooked octopus, the only cooking you’ll do is boil potatoes. Everything else is just chopping and tossing. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Boil the Potatoes: Add potatoes to a pot of salted water–make sure it’s extra salty since the potatoes absorb the flavor. Bring it to a boil, simmer until the potatoes are tender, and drain. Once cool, slice them in half or quarters, depending on their size.
- Combine Everything: While the potatoes cook, put all the ingredients in a bowl. Once the potatoes are ready, add them.
- Marinate the Octopus Salad for at least 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
How to Cook Octopus (Without Fear!)
If you can’t find cooked octopus, you can cook it yourself. Although it can seem intimidating, it’s easier than you think. The key to cooking octopus so it’s not rubbery is to simmer it gently until tender before chilling and slicing it for the salad. If you start with cleaned octopus (recommended), the process is even simpler! Ask your fishmonger to clean it for you.
- Start with Cleaned Octopus: If your octopus has already been cleaned (beak, eyes, and internal organs removed), rinse it under cold water before cooking.
- Prepare Your Pot: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a bay leaf, black peppercorns, a splash of vinegar (or white wine), and a garlic clove or a wedge of onion (optional) for extra flavor.
- The Curling Trick (Optional): To get nicely curled tentacles, dip the octopus into the boiling water three times, holding it by the head before fully submerging it. This helps set the shape.
- Simmer according to Weight: The cooking times are below. It’s done when you can easily pierce it with a fork.
–Regular (Non-Tenderized) Octopus: Simmer 12 minutes per pound over low heat.
–Pre-Tenderized Octopus: Simmer 6 minutes per pound over low heat. - Cool in the Cooking Liquid: Turn off the heat and let the octopus cool in the liquid for about 20 minutes. This helps retain moisture and tenderness.
- Remove the Skin (Optional): Once cooled, gently rub off the outer skin with your hands or a paper towel. Some people love the added texture, so this step is up to you!
- Slice and Use: Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces and toss it into your Mediterranean Octopus and Potato Salad or any other dish.
Variations
- Seafood: Swap octopus with cooked shrimp, squid or lobster.
- Olives: Substitute Castelvetrano.
- Shallot: Replace the shallot with a red onion.
Pairing Suggestions
This salad pairs beautifully with grilled vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers.
If serving it as part of a Mediterranean spread, consider adding hummus and pita, grilled halloumi, or a tomato and feta salad.
Storage
Refrigerate octopus salad for up to 3 days and eat the leftovers cold for a quick lunch.
More Mediterranean Recipes You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas, check out my Seafood Recipes collection, plus these five delicious Mediterranean recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 generous cup
Add whole potatoes to a pot of salted water* & bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain from the water & cool. Once cool, slice in half or in quarters depending on the size (they should be the right size for a forkful!)
While potatoes cook, get the remaining ingredients marinating: In a large bowl combine octopus, olives, shallot, parsley, lemon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper. Once the potatoes are cool, add to the bowl.
Let octopus salad marinade for a minimum of 15 minutes but up to over night!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Serving: 1 generous cup, Calories: 366.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.5 g, Protein: 47.5 g, Fat: 12.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 290 mg, Sodium: 1176 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 2.5 g
