Serves: 4 | Time: 45 minutes
This Brazilian-style seafood salad works as a main course or a generous starter. The salsa verde does double duty as marinade and dressing — make it first to let the flavors develop.
The word salpicão (Portuguese) or salpícón (Spanish) broadly means a “medley” of ingredients accompanied with a sauce. Salpicón has traveled far from its Iberian roots and spawned many local variations. In Brazil, salpicão is typically served cold at parties and celebrations. In Mexico and Central America it refers to a chopped flank steak salad with avocado, tomato, and vinegar, often served with tostadas, while in the Philippines “beef salpicao” is a garlicky stir-fried beef dish eaten over rice. This Atlantic version stays true to the Portuguese original: a seafood platter dressed with a bright, herbaceous green sauce.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 lb (450 g) pre-cooked octopus tentacles
- ½ lb (225 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb (450 g) waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) rounds
- 1 cup (240 g) roasted artichoke hearts, halved
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) strips
- 8 oz (225 g) asparagus tips, or green beans cut into 2½-inch (6 cm) pieces
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced, for garnish
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Salsa Verde:
- ½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (30 g) flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp capers, drained and chopped
- 2 anchovy fillets, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice, or to taste
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Make the salsa verde. Combine the olive oil, parsley, capers, anchovies, garlic, and red wine vinegar or lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a little cold water. Set aside — it improves as it sits.
Grill the octopus and shrimp. Brush the pre-cooked octopus tentacles with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat for 3–4 minutes per side until lightly charred. Let cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss the shrimp with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill for 2 minutes per side until just pink and cooked through. Set aside with the octopus.
Cook the vegetables. Boil the sliced potatoes in salted water until just tender, about 5–8 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside to cool. Blanch the asparagus tips (or green beans) in salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes until tender-crisp. Transfer immediately to ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their color. Drain well and pat dry. In a skillet, sauté the red pepper strips in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes until slightly softened. Set aside to cool.
Assemble. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large serving platter. Spoon some of the salsa verde over the top. Layer the octopus, shrimp, artichoke hearts, red peppers, and asparagus or green beans over the potatoes. Drizzle with more salsa verde and toss gently to coat. Garnish with the sliced eggs and serve with the remaining salsa verde on the side.
Notes
Potatoes: Use a waxy variety such as Yukon Gold or fingerlings. They hold their shape when sliced and won’t turn the salad starchy.
Octopus: Pre-cooked (frozen-and-thawed) octopus is fine here and saves considerable time. Look for it at Mediterranean or Latin grocery stores.
Salsa verde: Quantities are flexible. Taste as you go — more vinegar for sharpness, more capers for brine, more parsley for freshness.
Make ahead: The salad can be assembled a few hours in advance (without the eggs). Keep refrigerated and bring to room temperature before serving. Add the eggs and a final drizzle of salsa verde just before serving.
