Delicious Tako Salad Recipe

Some Spanish recipes take ingredients from different culinary traditions, providing new and modern flavor experiences that you can’t find in other places.

The tako salad recipe is one of the best examples of that, as it perfectly blends the classic Japanese flavors with traditional Andalusian ingredients, offering a delicious and refreshing summer salad.

To learn more about the history of the tako salad recipe, with some tips for storing, serving, and customizing, you just have to keep reading this article.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish salad recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Shirmp and Chorizo recipe

• Spanish octopus recipe

• Spanish Shrimp cocktail

Background of the Dish

The classic tako salad recipe is a traditional Japanese salad that showcases some of the best and most popular regional ingredients in a dish that’s served as a side or an appetizer.

Thanks to the small serving size, it got the nickname “Japanese tapas” and some Spanish restaurants took hold of this and started to include ingredients from the country like olive oil and garlic.

It quickly became a famous salad in Andalusia, as people already had different types of salads with octopus, but the combination of Japanese flavors with traditional Spanish ingredients offered a fresh and exciting twist.

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Things You’ll Need for Tako Salad Recipe

To prepare the tako salad recipe you will need octopus, cucumber, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame seeds, dry seaweed, and rice vinegar as the main ingredients.

Similar to other Spanish salad recipes, there are plenty of replacements that you can follow, so don’t worry if you don’t have all of the ingredients.

Ingredients

• 500gr octopus
• 4 cucumbers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
• 1 tablespoon green onions (chopped, for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon dried seaweed (optional, for garnish)

How to Make Tako Salad Recipe – Step by Step Guide

1. To start, clean the fresh octopus by removing the head, beak, and innards. Rinse well under cold water. You can skip this step of the tako su recipe if you buy a clean octopus or if they sell octopus sashimi at your local fishmonger.

2. Now, bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a boil. Once the water is boiling, dip the octopus tentacles in and out of the water three times to curl them, then fully submerge them and cook for about 45 to 60 minutes until tender.

3. For the next step in this tako recipe, remove the octopus from the water and let it cool. Once cooled, slice into bite-sized pieces.

4. After that, peel and slice the cucumber. Also, peel and mince the garlic cloves.

5. Then, grab a small bowl and whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper until well combined.

6. To continue with this tako salad recipe, grab a large bowl, mix the octopus with the cucumber, and pour the dressing. Toss gently to coat all the ingredients of the Spanish salad evenly with it.

7. To finish the best octopus salad recipe, garnish the salad with chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and seaweed (optional). Serve it cold and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

This is truly one of the best octopus salad recipes because the only ingredients that you must have are octopus and cucumber, besides that, you can let your imagination run wild.

For example, if you have some leftover deep-fried octopus or grilled octopus from other recipes, then you can cut them into bite-sized pieces and use them for this tako salad recipe.

The dressing listed for this recipe is different from the one that you would find on traditional Spanish salads, as it blends Andalusian and Asian flavors.

Still, to bring that characteristic flavor from Spanish salads you can include ingredients like sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, and local fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro.

Finally, feel free to complete this tako salad recipe with other vegetables, such as red onions, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, mixed greens, and cherry tomatoes.

Give a go to our latest Ensalada De Naranjas, a refreshing salad with oranges, that’s perfect for hot days.

Tips on Serving Tako Salad Recipe

With this tako salad recipe, you will have a fantastic side dish or appetizer for lunch or dinner, ready to be served cold or at room temperature, according to your preferences.

As described in the octopus salad recipe, there are some classic ways of topping this dish such as adding chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and dry seaweed for that Asian flavor.

Other toppings that you can use for this Spanish salad recipe include chopped and toasted almonds, grated manchego cheese, crumbled feta cheese, and an extra drizzle of high-quality olive oil.

For a fully Andalusian tapas table, you can serve this one with other Spanish octopus salad recipes, such as the hearty warm octopus salad or the modern smoked octopus salad.

How to Store Tako Salad Recipe

Once you finish making the tako salad recipe, you can serve it fresh right away or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you choose the latter, then wait to add the dressing until before serving, because otherwise the cucumber might get soggy and the flavors could become too intense.

To store this dish for longer, you can prepare the octopus and freeze it for up to 30 days, then mix it with the other components of the tako salad recipe.

For those of you who are meal-prep fans, we have more Spanish salads recipes waiting, such as the flavorful Spanish grilled octopus salad and the classic Spanish octopus salad.

Recipe Card: Tako Salad Recipe

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