Salada de Polvo

Name: Salada de Polvo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 2 lbs whole octopus, thawed; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled; 1 onion red onion, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Tender boiled octopus and potatoes dressed with red onion, parsley, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, a cold salad served in Portuguese cafes and at summer tables. Plan ahead: chill the salad 1 hour.

80 minMediumServes 4380 cal/serving

PortugueseSaladStovetopPescatarianGluten-FreeEgg-FreeDairy-FreeNut-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 lbs whole octopus, thawed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 onion red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1

Clean the whole octopus first: remove the beak, eyes and innards. Season a large pot of water with half of 1 tsp kosher salt and add 2 bay leaves. Add 2 lbs thawed whole octopus and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife slides easily into the thickest part and it reaches 190°F inside.
2

Add 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, to the pot for the last 15 minutes, until tender. Drain both and let cool slightly.
3

Cut the octopus into bite-size pieces and the potatoes into cubes. Discard the bay leaves.
4

Toss the octopus and potatoes with 1 onion thinly sliced red onion, 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, the remaining 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp sweet paprika, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Chill 1 hour, then serve.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Questions

What is Salada de Polvo?

Tender boiled octopus and potatoes dressed with red onion, parsley, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, a cold salad served in Portuguese cafes and at summer tables. Plan ahead: chill the salad 1 hour. This reference files it under Portuguese salad: made on the stovetop, rated medium and about 80 minutes start to finish.

How much time should I plan for Salada de Polvo?

As written, 80 minutes: 20 of prep and 60 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 1 (1 hour): "Add 2 lbs thawed whole octopus and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife slides easily into the thickest part and it reaches 190°F inside."

What internal temperature should Salada de Polvo reach?

For Salada de Polvo, the target internal temperature is 190 F (about 90 C), given in step 1. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

Does Salada de Polvo contain shellfish?

Yes: 2 lbs whole octopus, thawed. The full allergen list for this entry is shellfish. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Can I make Salada de Polvo ahead?

Yes, it takes well to being made ahead. The base of Salada de Polvo is potatoes, which holds up: it keeps three to four days refrigerated and tastes better after a few hours, once the dressing has soaked in. Hold back a spoonful of dressing to freshen it before serving. It does not freeze.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,695 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.