Basque Octopus Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Description
While flash frying is great for baby octopus, poaching medium to large octopus is a much better choice to achieve a soft, non-rubbery texture.
Ingredients
For the marinated octopus:
- 1 medium raw octopus, cleaned (approx 300g or 1lb)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) light olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve as Octopus Salad:
- marinated octopus, prepared as above
- 1 medium cooked potato, chilled and diced
- 1 head baby cos lettuce, shredded
- 1 dill pickle, diced
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olives of choice
- 1 tsp capers in brine
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) chopped parsley
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) chopped salted and white anchovies (see note), optional
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the leftover oil
- toasted bread of your choice
- lemon wedges
Instructions
To make the octopus:
- Cut the octopus into quarters, removing the head and beak (hard, shell-like bit from the middle near the head).
- Bring a saucepan of water and a tbsp of vinegar to a boil and drop in the tentacles and head. Bring to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the tentacles are soft when pierced but not mushy. Drain and cool in an ice bath.
- Peel off any of the slimy membranes – be careful not to remove too many of the suckers during this process, they look great and add texture to the dish.
- Chop up roughly. Mix oil and lemon juice in a bowl and add octopus. Mix well and season with black pepper. Refrigerate until needed (up to 2 days).
To serve:
- In a large bowl, mix together the octopus, diced potato, lettuce,diced pickle, olives, capers and anchovies, if using. Drizzle with oil. Transfer onto serving dish.
- Serve with lightly toasted bread and lemon wedges.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the octopus poached for 1 to 1.5 hours rather than quickly seared?
The excerpt specifically explains that while flash frying works well for baby octopus, poaching medium to large octopus (about 300 g / 1 lb here) is a much better choice to achieve a soft, non-rubbery texture. A long gentle simmer in water with a tablespoon of vinegar — until the tentacles are soft when pierced but not mushy — breaks down the tough collagen without overcooking the flesh.
Why should I preserve the suckers when peeling the octopus?
After cooking, step 3 says to peel off any slimy membranes but to be careful not to remove too many of the suckers — they look great on the plate and add texture to the dish. The suckers are firmer than the surrounding flesh and give each bite a pleasant contrast.
Can the marinated octopus be prepared in advance?
Yes — the instructions say to mix the cooked octopus with 1/4 cup of light olive oil and 2 tbsp of lemon juice, season with black pepper, and refrigerate until needed — up to 2 days. 
