If you’ve ever been to Italy, or even to an Italian restaurant anywhere – chances are you’ve had this wonderful appetizer. Tender octopus, layered with fresh vegetables, good olive oil, lemon and a hint of garlic. Simple, beautiful, and delicious.
And the best part? It is incredibly easy to make at home too. And relatively cheap!
When my husband was a child, he used to fish for polpi (octopuses) in the summer months when his family left the heat of Rome for their little house near the town of Latina along the Tyrrhenian Sea, a subdivision of the Mediterranean. 
Because octopuses creep and crawl better than they swim, they like to congregate near rocks. my husband and his cousins used to stand on the pier that stretched out over low cliffs and fish for the eight-tentacled creatures. To catch an octopus they used a special lure called a polpara, which had a little weighted body surrounded by fish hooks. The polpara was attached to a line, which they bobbed up and down to catch the octopus’ attention.
When a curious octopus wrapped its tentacles around the lure, they boys pulled the line up to claim their catch. Back home, my husband’s mamma, Maria, or his aunt, Zia Elena, cooked the octopus and made a delicious antipasto of insalata di polpo.
Here in the land-locked Midwest of the United States, we fish for our octopus at the local seafood market, and enjoy the squeals of awe from our friends and family who’ve never handled or eaten this delicious sea creature.
How to Cook and Prepare Insalata di Polpo – Italian Octopus Salad:
1. Prepare the Octopus
Place the octopuses and a cork from a recently opened bottle of wine into a large pot of cold water. If you don’t have a bottle open, this is the perfect excuse to uncork one! The tradition of adding a cork to the water is believed to help tenderize the octopus, a tip passed down through generations in southern Italy.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook the octopuses for 20 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the octopus to cool to room temperature in the cooking water. This step helps the octopus retain its tenderness.
2. Prepare the Vegetables
While the octopus is cooling, dice the carrots, red onion and celery finely, halve the cocktail tomatoes, and mince the garlic until very fine. Chop the flat-leaf Italian parsley and set all the prepared ingredients aside in a medium bowl.
3. Assemble the Salad
Once the octopus has cooled, remove it from the water and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the octopus into small bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl with the diced vegetables. Pour in enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat the octopus, then stir in the juice of one lemon and add salt to taste.
4. Marinate and Serve
Let the salad sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Before serving, give the salad a final stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning with additional lemon juice or salt if needed. Serve as an appetizer or a light main course.
Recipe Notes
- Tenderizing the Octopus: The tradition of adding a cork to the boiling water is an old Italian trick believed to help make the octopus more tender. While the exact science behind this is debated, it’s a charming addition that connects you with Italian culinary heritage.
- Octopus Prep Tip: Make sure to allow the octopus to cool in the cooking water to retain moisture and tenderness.
Yield, Prep Time, Cook Time, and Cuisine
- Yield: Serves 4 as an appetizer
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes for marinating
- Cuisine: Italian
Insalata di Polpo – Italian Octopus Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Pescatarian, Omnivore
Description
A refreshing Italian octopus salad. Perfect as an antipasto or light meal.
Ingredients
- 2 octopuses (1 lbs (454 g) each) octopuses
- 2 carrots (or a handful of baby carrots, diced) carrots
- 2 stalks celery (diced) celery
- 4-6 yellow cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered) yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 small red onion (finely chopped) small red onion
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) flat-leaf Italian parsley flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped) garlic
- 2 lemons juice lemons
- Olive oil olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Octopus
- Place the octopuses and a cork in a large pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the octopus to cool to room temperature in the cooking water.
- Prepare the Vegetables
- Dice the carrots, onion, and celery finely. Halve the cherry tomatoes and mince the garlic. Chop the flat-leaf Italian parsley and set all prepared ingredients aside.
- Assemble the Salad
- Remove the cooled octopus from the water, pat it dry, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to a bowl with the diced vegetables. Add extra-virgin olive oil, the juice of one lemon, and salt to taste.
- Marinate and Serve
- Let the salad sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Before serving, stir, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Notes
- For tender octopus, ensure the water comes to a rolling boil before adding the octopus and cork.
- Substitute other firm vegetables like fennel or bell peppers for the carrots and celery.
- Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; the flavors will meld beautifully.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinating Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 20
- Cholesterol: 100
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of octopus should I use for Insalata di Polpo?
You should use fresh octopus, ideally caught from a local seafood market; frozen octopus can also work but may require longer cooking times.
How do I ensure the octopus becomes tender when cooking?
To achieve tender octopus, simmer it gently in water for about 30-40 minutes, ensuring not to boil vigorously as this can make it tough.
Can I substitute the lemon juice in the dressing?
While fresh lemon juice is recommended for its bright flavor, you can use vinegar as a substitute, but it will alter the taste of the salad.
Love this!!
letting it cool in the cooking liquid is the step I kept skipping and wondering why my octopus was rubbery. the carryover in that broth finishes it gently without overcooking.
Always nervous about cooking octopus, but followed the steps and it turned out tender. Could’ve used a touch less salt for my taste.
Could I prepare the octopus the day before and just assemble the salad before serving?
Yes, Pierre that works well.
You can cook the octopus a day ahead, let it cool, and store it in the fridge. In fact, it often slices more cleanly once chilled. Just bring it closer to room temperature before assembling so it’s not too firm.
Then toss it with the olive oil, lemon, and other ingredients shortly before serving so everything stays fresh and well balanced.
Was out of lemon so used lime juice instead. Worked really well with the octopus, brightened up the flavors more than expected.
Took this salad to my dad’s birthday. He loves octopus, and it was the star dish of the evening.
Can I just say that this recipe is absolutely delicious – and I’m HOOKED!
I’d never cooked octopus before, but this recipe made it so easy! The salad was light and refreshing, tasted just like I remember from a restaurant in Naples back in the early 2000’s. So good to be able to make it at home!!
The first time cooking octopus was nerve-wracking for me too. Once you get the rhythm — low simmer, don’t rush it, let it rest in the cooking liquid — it becomes a regular. The Naples comparison is the highest praise, that’s the real thing.
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and adding the cork really does make a difference. I have NO idea why, but it does. Buonissimo!
A classic Italian dish done right. The cork trick is genius, and the salad is amazing. Tastes just like my mom’s version (don’t tell her), and as an Italian I can definitely recommend this recipe!