This Puerto Rican Ensalada de Pulpo (Puerto Rican Octopus Salad) is a delicious blend of octopus, peppers, onions and pimiento olives, marinated in a tangy olive oil, vinegar, lime, and garlic dressing. A highly popular food found in most coastal roadside kiosks and restaurant establishments!
Travel around the island, especially the coastal regions and you are guaranteed to find Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad), along with Ensalada de Camarones (Shrimp Salad) and Ensalada de Carrucho (Conch Salad) sold from roadside kiosks.
These fresh vibrant salads are conveniently served in plastic or Styrofoam cups so that you can easily enjoy them as you walk around the streets and coastal shops.
Jump to:
- Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Octopus Vinaigrette
- Using Fresh Octopus vs Frozen Octopus
- How to Tenderize Octopus?
- How Long Does it Take for Octopus to Get Tender?
- Ingredients
- How to Make (Como Hacer Una Receta de Ensalada de Pulpo)
- Recipe FAQs
- Other Seafood Dishes You Will Love
- 📖 Recipe
- Shrimp Dishes You Will Love
Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Easy – Easy and quick to put together. Once the octopus is cooked, it’s just a matter of mixing a few ingredients together and done.
- Tender – Many people have a fear of cooking octopus at home scared that it may come out tough, chewy and rubbery. However, cooked correctly, this seafood delicacy comes out perfectly tender and delicious. Follow the very easy steps below to guarantee your octopus will come out deliciously tender every time.
- Make Ahead – Having a get together and have a lot of dishes to make? This is one you can make the day before and allow the flavors to blend well overnight.
- Have this Salad for Dinner or Appetizer – To serve as an appetizer, serve in small ramekins or plastic cups. For dinner, serve on top of white or yellow rice.
Octopus Vinaigrette
The vinaigrette for this salad is quite simple but undoubtedly delicious.
Simply add olive oil, vinegar and fresh garlic to a medium size bowl and whisk together to emulsify. This will thicken the dressing slightly allowing it to better adhere to the octopus and other ingredients perfectly.
At the end, top the salad with fresh lime juice for amazing added flavor and citrus freshness.
Do not skimp on the lime juice!
Using Fresh Octopus vs Frozen Octopus
FROZEN OCTOPUS
Pros: Using frozen octopus, helps to kickstart the tenderizing process because the proteins start to break down the moment it is frozen.
Pros: Frozen octopus usually has been cleaned removing the process of doing this part yourself.
Cons: You will have to defrost the octopus in the refrigerator before cooking.
FRESH OCTOPUS
Pros: Can be cooked immediately, skipping having to defrost it.
Cons: Usually octopus purchased from your local fish monger will need to be cleaned. Although, this is relatively simple to do, if you are not comfortable doing this, simply ask your monger to clean it for you.
How to Tenderize Octopus?
Depending on what region of the world you live in, you may have heard of one or more ways to tenderize octopus.
Myself, I have found a way that works every time.
Adding a little acidity to the pot, like vinegar or lemon helps to tenderize it.
Additionally, depending on the size of the octopus, you will want to cook it for a certain amount of time. It helps to be patient and not rush this part.
How Long Does it Take for Octopus to Get Tender?
For this recipe, I used baby octopus and cooked it for just 30 minutes.
For a 4-pound octopus, cook it for about 45-55 minutes.
The best way to determine if your octopus is cooked and tenderized is to pierce the fattest part of one of the tentacles with a paring knife. If it pierces easily into the skin, it is done.
Ingredients
- Octopus – use fresh or frozen octopus. Both large or baby octopus work for this salad.
- Bell peppers– add a combination of red, yellow and orange bell peppers for a more visually appealing mouth-watering salad.
- Scallions and Red Onions – scallions always add amazing flavor to any fresh citrusy salad. Red onions are visually more appealing and sweeter than white onions, making them perfect for this salad.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – use apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or plain white.
- Pimiento Stuffed Olives – slice each olive in half or cut into three slices each for a delicious briny flavor.
- Fresh Cilantro – no other herb adds freshness and flavor to this salad like cilantro!
- Lime or Lemon – adding fresh lime or lemon juice adds the perfect finishing touch to this salad.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
How to Make (Como Hacer Una Receta de Ensalada de Pulpo)
If you have bought an octopus that hasn’t been cleaned, do so first.
Here’s a helpful video tutorial by Giallozafferano Italian Recipes.
- In a medium to large pot, add enough water to fully cover the octopus. Turn the stove to medium high heat.
- Add the bay leaf, whole garlic cloves, salt and juiced lemon plus the lemon rind itself.
- Bring to a low boil and then add the octopus.
Note: If you are using a large octopus, dunk the tentacles three times in the water up and down before dropping the whole octopus in the water to cook. This process helps the tentacles curl up instead of seizing like a frozen garden hose. Plus it produces restaurant-quality “curls!”
Since I used baby octopus for this recipe, this step wasn’t necessary.
- If using baby octopus, cook for 30-35 minutes. For a large octopus (4 pounds), cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
You will notice the water will start to turn color as the octopus cooks. The water will be a purple hue by the time the octopus is fully cooked. This is normal.
- Using a colander, drain the octopus.
- Optional: Under cool water, use your fingers to easily slide some of the octopus’s outer skin to expose the white tentacles underneath. Do the same with the octopus head.
Note: This step is optional and not necessary. Some people prefer to leave the skin because it adds a nice color to the salad. I like to partially remove the skin in some areas like the head and the skin that is around the area where the tentacles meet the body. I prefer to leave some of the skin on the tentacles.
- Slice the octopus into half-inch to 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Add the oil, vinegar and fresh garlic to a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Using a whisk or fork, whisk until the oil and vinegar emulsify.
- Add all the chopped veggies and mix them into the oil, vinegar dressing.
- Add the sliced olives and fresh cilantro.
- Add in the octopus.
- Mix everything together.
- Top the salad with a whole fresh lime, juiced and stir everything together.
- Taste for salt, add more if needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before serving.
If you are serving this salad to a large group and would like to serve it buffet style, make sure to set it in a large bed of ice to help keep the the salad cold. VERY IMPORTANT!
To avoid illness causing bacteria to grow on your seafood dish, do not allow it to sit out of the refrigerator for more than 1 hour, especially on hot summer days.
Recipe FAQs
To store any leftovers, save in an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume within 2 days.
Cut down on bacterial growth by not allowing it to sit out of the refrigerator for more than 1 hour, especially on hot summer days.
If serving as an appetizer, serve in small bowls, ramekins, condiment bowls or small plastic cups.
To serve as a meal, serve on top or beside arroz blanco (Puerto Rican white rice) with a side of garlic tostones (fried green plantains) and avocado.
The best way to determine if your octopus is cooked and tenderized is to pierce the fattest part of one of the tentacles with a paring knife. If it pierces easily into the skin, it is done.
Other Seafood Dishes You Will Love
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📖 Recipe
Ensalada de Pulpo (Puerto Rican Octopus Salad)
Ingredients
Octopus Salad Vinaigrette
- ½ cup light virgin oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or red wine or white
- 1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
- salt and pepper to taste
To Cook Octopus
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 lemon juiced plus rind
Salad Ingredients
- 1-4 pound octopus fresh or frozen
- ½ red bell pepper rinsed and chopped
- ½ yellow bell pepper rinsed and chopped
- ½ orange bell pepper rinsed and chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 1-2 scallions rinsed and chopped
- 2 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives sliced in half or into thirds
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro rinsed and chopped
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
- In a medium to large pot, add enough water to fully cover the octopus. Turn the stove to medium high heat.
- Add the bay leaf, whole garlic cloves, salt and juiced lemon plus the lemon rind itself.Bring to a low boil and then add the octopus.Note: If you are using a large octopus, dunk the tentacles three times in the water up and down before dropping the whole octopus in the water to cook. This process helps the tentacles curl up instead of seizing like a frozen garden hose while producing restaurant-quality "curls!" You do not need to do this for baby octopus.
- If cooking baby octopus, cook for 30-35 minutes. For a large octopus (4 pounds), cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.Note: You will notice the water will start to turn color as the octopus cooks. The water will be a purple hue by the time the octopus is fully cooked. This is normal.
- Using a colander, drain the octopus.
- Optional: Under cool water, use your fingers to easily slide some of the octopus's outer skin to expose the white tentacles underneath. Do the same with the octopus head. Note: This step is optional and not necessary. Some people prefer to leave the skin because it adds a nice color to the salad. I like to partially remove the skin in some areas like the head and the skin that is around the area where the tentacles meet the body. I prefer to leave some of the skin on the tentacles.
- Slice the octopus into half-inch to 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Add the oil, vinegar and fresh garlic to a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Using a whisk or fork, whisk until the oil and vinegar emulsify.
- Add all the chopped veggies and mix them into the oil, vinegar dressing.
- Add the sliced olives and fresh cilantro.
- Add in the octopus. Mix everything together.
- Top the salad with a whole fresh lime, juiced and stir everything together.
- Taste for salt, add more if needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Renee Tomlinson says
Do you discard the octopus head or is it cut up also?
Catherine Arena says
Hi Renee, thanks for the question. This is actually a personal preference but in my case, I always cut it up and add it to my salad. I hope that helps you! 🙂