Salpicón de Marisco (Spanish Seafood Salad) is a Mediterranean recipe that is one of the most popular Spanish recipes to enjoy on those very hot summer days. Although it’s perfect for summer, you can also enjoy it as a Christmas Eve seafood salad. It’s made with a simple mix of seafood cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed in a flavorful vinaigrette made with olive oil, mustard, and fresh lemon juice.
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What Is Salpicón de Marisco?
Salpicón de Marisco is a cold salad recipe from Spanish cuisine, enjoyed mostly during the summer along Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Its ingredients include cooked seafood such as octopus, shrimp, mussels, and others, along with vegetables like green and red bell peppers, onion, and cucumber cut into small pieces and dressed with a vinaigrette.
In the past in Spain, salpicón was made with finely chopped beef, vegetables, and a dressing. It was a humble dish from medieval times that evolved within Spanish cuisine, especially in coastal areas, where the meat was gradually replaced with fresh seafood. The first time my husband and I tried this recipe was in Barcelona a few years ago, as part of a typical menú del día at a small local restaurant, and we have loved it ever since!
Ingredients for Spanish Seafood Salad Recipe
- 1 lb (500 g) shrimp or prawns
- 12 oz (350 g) cooked octopus, or 3 tentacles
- 2 lb (1 kg) raw mussels in the shell, or 1 cup shelled mussels
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
- 1 tbsp capers
For the Olive Oil Salad Dressing (Vinaigrette)
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 medium lemon
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Salpicón de Marisco?
1- If using mussels in the shell, wash them well and place them in a pot with about an inch of water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes, or until the shells open. Carefully remove the mussels from their shells and cut them in half.
2- Clean and peel the shrimp, season them with salt, and sauté them for a few minutes in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Then cut them into small pieces.
3- Cut the cooked octopus into small pieces and sauté for a few minutes.
4- Cut all the vegetables into small cubes.
5- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together, including the capers. Add the vinaigrette, toss everything together, and enjoy!
How to Make the Vinaigrette?
1- In a small bowl or a small glass jar with lid, add the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake well (if using a jar) until the ingredients are emulsified and the vinaigrette turns a creamy yellow color.
Variations of Salpicón de Mariscos
The ingredients in Salpicón de marisco are usually octopus, shrimp or prawns, mussels, and vegetables like the ones in this recipe, but you can vary it by adding imitation crab (surimi), lobster, and clams. You can also add tomatoes cut into small cubes. My recommendation is to use the original ingredients in the recipe and add others if you want to vary it, rather than replacing any of them.
How to Cook Fresh or Frozen Octopus?
For this simple seafood salad recipe, if you don’t have cooked octopus and have it fresh, bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil and dip the octopus in and out of the boiling water about three times to scare it (this helps prevent the skin from coming off), then boil it over medium heat for about 20–25 minutes until tender. If you have frozen octopus, simply thaw it in the refrigerator the day before and then cook it.
Other Spanish Recipes
Tarta de Santiago Recipe | Spanish Almond Cake
Arroz Meloso Recipe | Spanish Creamy Rice
The Creamiest Rice Pudding Recipe, Asturian-Style
Easy Cod and Potato Stew Recipe (Spanish-Style Bacalao con Papas)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Seafood Salad Recipe
- 1 lb (500g) shrimp or prawns
- 12 oz (350g) cooked octopus, or 3 tentacles
- 2 lb (1 kg) raw mussels in the shell, or 1 cup shelled mussels
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
- 1 tbsp capers
For the Olive Oil Salad Dressing (Vinaigrette)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 medium lemon
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
How to Make Salpicón de Marisco
- If using mussels in the shell, wash them well and place them in a pot with about an inch of water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes, or until the shells open. Carefully remove the mussels from their shells and cut them in half.
- Clean and peel the shrimp, season them with salt, and sauté them for a few minutes in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Then cut them into small pieces.
- Cut the cooked octopus into small pieces and sauté for a few minutes.
- Cut all the vegetables into small cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together, including the capers. Add the vinaigrette, toss everything together, and enjoy!
How to Make the Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl or a small glass jar with lid, add the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake well (if using a jar) until the ingredients are emulsified and the vinaigrette turns a creamy yellow color.
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