Salpicon de pulpo, a fresh Spanish salad with octopus, vegetables and red wine vinegar! Serve it as a fresh and tasty lunch option, appetizer or a seafood salad!
Do you like octopus?
I love it!
One of my favorite ways to prepare it: in a salpicon de pulpo salad or simply grilled with a tad of lemon juice on top in the in.
I love this dish especially in the summer.
Octopus Recipes
So what is my most favorite way to prepare octopus?
There is another octopus recipe that I absolutely love to bits. In Spain we call it ‘pulpo a la Gallega’ or ‘pulpo a feira’.
Does that ring a bell?
It’s got a layer of lukewarm sliced floury potatoes and a layer of warm sliced octopus. A good drizzle of olive oil, a good dash of mild ground paprika and salt.
It is absolutely to die for.
I could eat loads of that stuff, it is so addictive.
Google it, or if you go to Spain then see if you can order it somewhere.
Easy Spanish Salpicon de Pulpo Recipe
But let’s go back to our salpicon salad below for now.
Salpicon is a Spanish cold salad.
It contains fresh and crunchy chopped vegetables. Think of tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper and cucumber.
It is soaked in a zippy vinaigrette. Olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh herbs (parsley and cilantro). There are many versions. It can contain (canned) tuna, pulled chicken, cooked fish or chopped seafood.
Octopus Lover?
Do you love this octopus salpicon salad?
Then you should also take a look at another one of my dishes that is very similar my salpicon de atun!
This salad is also a great way to incorporate leftovers. Grilled sardines together with the salpicon salsa are also a great match!
And if you want to turn this salpicon in a posh appetizer, then take a look at my mussels in vinaigrette, similar flavors!
Enjoy!
Easy Spanish Salpicon de Pulpo Recipe

Salpicon de pulpo, a fresh Spanish salad with octopus, vegetables and red wine vinegar!
- 9 oz octopus (250 g), fresh or cooked
- 1 small fresh tomato
- 3 tbsp red onion chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2- inch fresh cucumber (5 cm)
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
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If you are using fresh octopus, boil it for 10 minutes in some salted water with a garlic clove and bay leaf.
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Once cooked enough, drain the octopus and let it cool down fully in the fridge. In the meantime slice the tomato in half and remove the watery seeds. Discard them. Then dice the tomato up finely and do the same with the cucumber. Add both to a medium mixing bowl.
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Stir and then add the red onion and the freshly chopped parsley.
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Add the olive oil and the red wine vinegar. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt as well.
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Stir the salad well. Then slice the chilled octopus tentacles into smaller bite-size bits and add them to the bowl.
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Stir and put the salpicon in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt, olive oil or red wine vinegar to taste if necessary. Serve the salpicon cold.