Mediterranean Octopus and Potato Salad, with cherry tomatoes, red onion and olives. The Mediterranean octopus salad with potatoes and cherry tomatoes is a delicious seafood main course, but also a one-dish meal and very easy to make, just like the Lemon-Marinated Octopus Carpaccio. We all know the classic Octopus and Potato Salad, but if we add cherry tomatoes, olives and red onions, the dish becomes outstanding and is the perfect idea to bring to the table for the summer. Want to try making this Mediterranean octopus and potato salad yourself? Let’s go to the kitchen, but first, as always, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Inexpensive
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn

Ingredients to make the Mediterranean Octopus and Potato Salad

21 oz octopus
21 oz potatoes
3.5 oz (about 1 medium) red onion
1.8 oz (about 1/3 cup) Taggiasca olives
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste parsley
1 pinch pepper
to taste extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons (juicy)
to taste white wine vinegar

Tools

Pot
Bowls

Preparation

For this salad you can use fresh octopus or frozen octopus; in the latter case let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator before cooking.

If using fresh octopus, remove the entrails and the beak, or ask your fishmonger to do it for you; then rinse it under running water. If using frozen octopus it may already be cleaned and you can skip this step.

You can choose one of these two valid methods to cook the octopus:
-Fill a pot with cold water, immerse the octopus, add half a lemon cut in half and from the moment the water boils count 45 minutes; for 2.2 lb (1 kg) of mollusk this should be enough.
-If you want the tentacles to curl, when the water boils dip the octopus in and lift it out three times. Then continue cooking as above.
While the octopus cooks, place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35-40 minutes from boiling or until a skewer goes through them easily. Drain the potatoes and let them cool before peeling and cutting them into chunks.
Peel the onion, rinse it and slice it. If you don’t like the strong raw onion flavor, place it in a bowl, add 1/2 level tablespoon of salt and about 3 tbsp of vinegar, mix and let it rest for 10 minutes; you’ll see it will release much of its liquid and the pungent smell will diminish.
Cut the now-cool octopus into pieces, rinse and halve the cherry tomatoes.
Chop the parsley, place the octopus in a bowl and dress it with olive oil, parsley and lemon juice, then mix.
In a bowl combine the potatoes, the cherry tomatoes, the well-drained and squeezed onion, the olives, salt, pepper, oil, parsley and mix.
Finally add the octopus pieces with their marinade and mix again: the salad is ready to be enjoyed immediately or after a few hours of resting in the fridge.