← All recipes · Species guide: Octopus
Puerto Rico · Octopus

Puerto Rican Octopus Salad

Ensalada de Pulpo

The cold, tangy octopus salad you find at every kiosk along the Luquillo beachfront, packed with peppers, onion and olives. Grab a fork, some tostones and a cold drink.

  • Prep 20 min + 2 hr chill
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy
Photo: Brooks patty · CC BY-SA 4.0
Served with: Tostones with Garlic Dip ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the octopus

For the salad

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Cook the octopus. Simmer the octopus with the onion, bay leaves and salt in plenty of water for 45–50 minutes, until a fork pierces a tentacle easily. Let it cool in the liquid.
  2. Cut it up. Drain and rub off any loose purple skin if you like. Cut the tentacles and head into bite-size pieces, about ½ inch (1 cm).
  3. Mix the dressing. In a large bowl whisk the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
  4. Toss. Add the octopus, onion, peppers, ajíes dulces, olives and cilantro and toss well.
  5. Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, stirring once. Taste for salt and vinegar and serve cold with tostones.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Puerto Rico & the Spanish Caribbean

Tostones with Garlic Dip

Tostones con Mojo de Ajo

Green plantains fried twice: soft inside, crackly outside. Every fried-fish plate in Puerto Rico comes with a pile of these.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 large green plantains
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to finish
  • 4 garlic cloves (for the dip)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (for the dip)
  • 1 tbsp lime juice (for the dip)

How to make it

  1. First fry. Peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Fry in oil at 325 °F (165 °C) for 4–5 minutes until tender but still pale.
  2. Smash. Drain, then press each piece flat to about ½ inch (1 cm) with the bottom of a glass or a tostonera.
  3. Second fry. Fry again at 365 °F (185 °C) for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and salt right away.
  4. Garlic dip. Mash the garlic with a pinch of salt, then stir in the olive oil and lime juice. Serve on the side for dipping.

Photo: やましこ · CC BY-SA 2.0

More ways to cook Octopus

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Galicia, SpainGalician Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil
Lisbon, PortugalPortuguese Roasted Octopus with Garlic Olive Oil
Naxos, GreeceGreek Island Grilled Octopus