Recipe — 95 minutes · serves 4 as a starter · Easy

Octopus Ceviche (Ceviche de Pulpo)

Name: Octopus Ceviche (Ceviche de Pulpo)
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4 as a starter
Cuisine: Seafood
Ingredients: 1 lb frozen octopus; 3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 6–8 limes), plus extra wedges to serve; 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin; 1 fresh chili (aji, serrano or jalapeno), finely sliced — seeds out for milder; 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped; 1 tsp sea salt, to taste; 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, rounds the acid); To serve: cooked sweet potato slices, corn, and plantain chips or tortilla chips

It started at our counter: a customer picked up frozen octopus and told us it was going home to become ceviche. Good call — with one thing to know first. Ceviche de pulpo is a Peruvian coastal classic: tender octopus, lime, red onion, chili and cilantro, served cold. Unlike fish ceviche, the octopus is cooked first. Lime juice alone leaves it rubbery. Simmer it tender, chill it, slice it — then the lime does the flavour work. Frozen octopus is a plus here, not a compromise: freezing helps tenderize it.

Serves: 4 as a starter. Prep: 20 minutes, plus chilling. Cook the octopus: 35–45 minutes. Time in lime: 20–30 minutes.

Ingredients

—1 lb frozen octopus
—3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 6–8 limes), plus extra wedges to serve
—1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
—1 fresh chili (aji, serrano or jalapeno), finely sliced — seeds out for milder
—1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
—1 tsp sea salt, to taste
—1 tbsp olive oil (optional, rounds the acid)
—To serve: cooked sweet potato slices, corn, and plantain chips or tortilla chips

Method

01
Thaw. Thaw the octopus overnight in the fridge.
02
Cook it tender. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dip the tentacles in and out 3 times so they curl, then submerge, lower to a steady simmer, and cook 35–45 minutes, until a knife slides through the thickest part with almost no resistance.
03
Chill. Lift it out, cool, then refrigerate until completely cold. Cold octopus slices cleanly and stays tender.
04
Soften the onion. Soak the sliced red onion in cold salted water for 10 minutes, then drain. This keeps the crunch and takes off the raw bite.
05
Slice and dress. Slice the octopus into thin rounds / bite-size pieces. In a glass or ceramic bowl, toss with the lime juice, onion, chili, cilantro and salt. Refrigerate 20–30 minutes — long enough to take on flavour, not so long the lime toughens it.
06
Serve cold, straight away, with sweet potato, corn and chips for scooping.

A straight word on "cooking" in lime

Lime firms seafood and makes it look cooked, but it doesn't cook it the way heat does. So: buy the freshest fish, keep everything cold while it marinates, and make and eat ceviche the same day. If you're serving anyone who shouldn't eat raw seafood, make one of the cooked versions below — octopus or shrimp. All the flavour, none of the question.

Make it yours: every fish in our case that works for ceviche

Same lime, onion, chili and cilantro dressing. What changes is the fish — and whether it goes in raw or cooked.

Fish	Raw or cooked first?	Time in lime	Notes
Halibut	Raw, 1/2-inch cubes	30–45 min	The classic pick. Firm, mild, holds its cube. Our first recommendation.
Snapper	Raw, 1/2-inch cubes	30–45 min	The traditional ceviche fish in much of Latin America. Sweet and clean.
Euro Bass / Branzino	Raw, 1/2-inch cubes	20–30 min	Delicate and silky. Thaw fully first, and don't leave it longer — it firms up fast.
Atlantic Salmon	Raw, 1/2-inch cubes	10–15 min	Rich and buttery. Serve it still blushing in the centre; a long cure dulls the colour and texture.
Yellowfin Tuna	Raw, sliced, tiradito style	Dress at serving, 5 min max	Treat tuna differently: slice it, lay it out, spoon the dressing over just before serving. A long lime bath turns it grey and chalky.
Scallops	Raw, whole as they are small	15–20 min	Sweet and tender. Thaw in the fridge and pat dry before the lime goes on.
Atlantic Cod	Raw, larger 3/4-inch cubes	20–30 min	Mild and good — just handle gently. Cod flakes, so fold it once at the end instead of stirring.
Haddock	Raw, larger 3/4-inch cubes	20–30 min	Lean and delicate, same handling as cod. Keep the pieces big and the time short.
Shrimp	COOKED FIRST	20–30 min for flavour	Boil 1–2 minutes until just pink (or thaw if your shrimp is already cooked), chill, then dress. The version for anyone avoiding raw seafood.
Octopus	COOKED FIRST	20–30 min for flavour	The master recipe above. Simmer tender, chill, slice thin.
Ceviche Mixto	Mixed	Follow each part	The coastal mix: cooked octopus and shrimp, plus raw-cured white fish, all in one bowl. Cooked parts go in at the end.

Mexican-style twist: add diced tomato, cucumber and avocado just before serving, and serve on tostadas. Peruvian-style, as written above: sweet potato and corn on the side. That's the original plate.

Shop the ceviche case

Order for pickup — every fish above, from our Crowfoot counter:

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