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This Greek-inspired octopus salad is full of texture and features a mix of diced fennel, bell pepper, and scallions. Tossed with briny capers and a bold oregano vinaigrette, it can easily be served as a side dish or a lunch. I tested this every which way and have found pre-cooked octopus tentacles are just as delicious as octopus you cook yourself. If made with pre-cooked tentacles, this comes together in just 30 minutes.
This recipe is inspired by an octopus pasta salad I had in Greece on my honeymoon. We booked a day on a small sailboat hosted by two young Milos residents. They packed snorkel gear, beers, and the best part, a big lunch made by their mothers. The simple lunch of Greek salad, octopus pasta salad, potato and squid salad, roasted pork, hard boiled eggs and cheese, bread, and dip, was by far the most memorable meal of the trip.
The octopus pasta salad in particular has really stuck with me. Since then, I’ve wanted to recreate the salad. And after many tests and iterations, I’ve finally landed on a salad recipe that reminds me of what we had that day.
I hope you enjoy!
Ingredient Notes For The Salad
The ingredient list is straightforward, but here are a few helpful notes.
Octopus: you can either cook a whole 2½–3 pound octopus or use two 7-ounce packages of pre-cooked, frozen tentacles. Both work really well. So it really comes down to preference and how comfortable you are cooking an entire octopus, which takes about 1 hour.
Oregano: this salad is best with fresh oregano. I don’t recommend substituting with dried unless you really can’t find fresh. If you do use dried, I would start with 2 teaspoons and add more to taste. Fresh or dried, it’s a bold herb, so start with a little and add more to taste.
Bell pepper: I like the sweetness a yellow bell pepper adds, but if you like green bell peppers, that would also work great here.
How to Cook a Whole Octopus
To cook a whole octopus, I recommend following Daniel Gritzer’s simmer method.
It’s simple and turns out well every time.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and very slowly submerge the octopus into the water. Cook the octopus until tender enough that a pairing knife inserted in the thickest part of a tentacle has little resistance, about 1 hour (it may take a little less or a little more time).
- Remove the pot from heat and let the octopus and water cool to room temperature. Drain and store in an airtight in the fridge until ready to use (up to 3 days).
- When ready to serve, remove the tentacles where they attach to the body. At the point where the tentacles all meet is the hard beak, remove the beak and cut out eyes; discard.
How Easy It Is To Make Octopus Salad
- All you have to do is whisk up the oregano vinaigrette in a large bowl—olive oil, red wine vinegar, country-style Dijon, grated garlic (grate with a microplane), honey, and fresh oregano.
- Add the salad ingredients, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Octopus Pasta Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette
Description
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Ingredients
- ½ pound dry ditalini pasta, cooked according to package instructions
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- Kosher salt
- 3 cups diced cooked octopus (from two 7-ounce packages frozen cooked octopus tentacles or one 2½ pound cooked whole octopus
- 1 fennel bulb bulb and stalks diced, fronds chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 4 scallions white and light green parts minced, greens sliced
- ¼ cup capers drained
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Season generously with salt; add ½ pound Ditalini pasta and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons olive oil, 5 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons Dijon, 2 tablespoons oregano, 1½ teaspoons honey, and 1 grated clove garlic. Season lightly with salt.
- Add octopus, cooked and drained Ditalini, fennel bulb and stalks, ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds, bell pepper, scallions, and capers. Toss to combine then season to taste with additional salt.
Notes
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and very slowly submerge the octopus into the water. Cook the octopus until tender enough that a pairing knife inserted in the thickest part of a tentacle has little resistance, about 1 hour (it may take a little less or a little more time). Remove the pot from heat and let the octopus and water cool to room temperature. Drain and store in an airtight in the fridge until ready to use (up to 3 days).
- When ready to serve, remove the tentacles where they attach to the body. At the point where the tentacles all meet is the hard beak, remove the beak and cut out eyes; discard.
