Tako Su or Octopus Salad is a refreshing appetizer served in izakaya (Japanese tapas) restaurants. If you enjoy octopus sashimi, here‘s another fun way to prepare octopus.

As you know Japan is an island nation surrounded by bodies of water. With this abundance of water, the Japanese have learned to enjoy many kinds of seafood that are not typically served in other cultures. One of the seemingly exotic seafood is the octopus, which is my main ingredient for the recipe today.
Outside of Japan, you can find octopus being enjoyed by many other cultures, from Asia, Mediterranean, to South and Central Americans. Japanese don’t eat octopus at home too often, but it’s one of the key ingredients we use for sushi, Takoyaki (fried octopus balls), oden (hot pot), and in a salad called Tako Su (たこ酢).

Quick & Easy Octopus Salad
If you are able to find some sashimi or sushi-grade octopus (タコ刺身) in a Japanese grocery store, making octopus salad at home is surprisingly easy. Even though we call it sashimi/sushi-grade octopus, it actually has been boiled and ready to be enjoyed. To check if the precooked octopus is fresh, the skin should be dark purple and the flesh should be white. The texture is a bit chewy, but when sliced thin, it can be consumed easily by adults.
For Tako Su, we simply combine the thinly sliced octopus with crunchy cucumber, wakame, and toasted sesame seeds before tossing in a light Japanese vinaigrette. The contrast colors and textures of the salad, in my opinion, is a celebration of what nature has provided us. An exemplification of what good food is all about.
I know octopus may not be for everyone, but I hope those of you adventurous eaters will give this salad recipe a try. It’s yummy and low in calorie, making it a delightful side dish to serve especially on a midsummer dinner.

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Octopus Salad (Tako Su)
Ingredients
- ¼ lb octopus sashimi (boiled octopus)
- ⅓ English cucumber (or 1 Japanese Cucumber)
- ½ Tbsp dried wakame seaweed
- ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
For the Vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Slice ¼ lb octopus sashimi (boiled octopus) very thinly.
- With ⅓ English cucumber, peel the skin lengthwise in a striped pattern, peeling ½ inch (1.3 cm) wide strips alternately with unpeeled sections. With this method, the cucumber slices have some decorative dark green accents and a little bit of extra crunchiness. Cut the cucumber into small pieces (I use the Japanese cutting technique called rangiri).
- In a small bowl, soak ½ Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in warm water. Let it soak for 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze the liquid out. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette: 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1½ Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds.
- Add the cucumber, octopus, seaweed, and ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds and toss them all together. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.
Konbanwa, Namikosan. For the Tako Su. Can I marinate the Tako overnight and then add the Kyuri and wakame when ready to serve? I was thinking of making it for New Years Day to go with the Osechi Ryori and Bara Sushi.
Domo Arigato, ne.
Yurika
Hi Yurika,
Sure. That is a better idea than you prepare this dish and store it for New Years Day.
Osechi and Bara Sushi sound so delicious for the New Year!
Have a wonderful New Year! 良いお年を!🎍
Hi Nami, I couldn’t find sashimi grade octopus here in Australia. Is it ok if I boiled the octopus and add into the salad? Will it taste the same? Thank you.
Hi Jia,
We are not sure how fresh is your Octopus. But Nami’s Octopus is also boiled and packages, so if yours are fresh and able to use for other dishes, then boiled and using it for this recipe is fine.
We hope this helps.
Hi, do you have recipe for chuka idako?? It’s really expensive to buy outside but my family loves to eat it.
Hi Jovita! I have at least 3 people (or more) asking me for this recipe. Where do you get it? We can’t get this (packaged one) at my local Japanese grocery store… you really have a well-stock Japanese market!
It’s also sold in online shopping store like shopee. There is another name for it which is called ajitsuke idako. Sushi stalls sell it too. I really hope you can have the recipe!! 🙂
Hi Jovita! When I try it, I will take a look. I think I’ve tried before… Thank you for your request!
Wonderful and so simple. And these days many Costco stores, at least in Bay Area, are carrying very lovely cooked octopus tentacles in vacuum sealed packages from Spain. They have a very long fridge-life and work great in your seafood salad recipes (so convenient when going to Nijiya market or cooking a fresh octopus is not an option.) Thank you so very much for your wonderful recipes and cooking lessons.
Hi Lynn! Thank you so much for your kind comment. Yes, I heard about the vacuum-sealed packages from Spain. Good to know it’s a good product! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I am a fan of octopus but I find that the sushi grade octopus from Japan is much tougher than the octopus from Spain. It seems undercooked to me. Is this a taste preference of the Japanese or are the type of octopus just different?
Hi Brian! It’s really a good question. Are you talking about the octopus legs sold in Japanese grocery stores or octopus that is already sliced and served on top of sushi? I feel like octopus tastes so much better when I eat in Japan, and always assumed that quality here (even though it’s from Japan or prepared here, not sure) is never been the same. I never compared with octopus in different cuisine. My favorite Mediterranean restaurant (nice restaurant) serves amazing tender octopus. Maybe preparation is the key based on restaurants/chefs?
[…] Octopus Salad (Tako Su) […]
[…] wished to eat it, was made without the vegetables, but I used the tako su dressing at the recipe, here.. Since I had quite the hike to the pot luck, my octopus marinated for about 3 hours, and much of […]
I adore your recipes and your attitude! Your sesame salad dressing is to dye for! I have printed several of your salad recipes and am going shopping after work. I can’t wait to surprise my family with all these new, fresh and different types of salads! Thank you!!!
Hi Shelly! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so happy you enjoy my sesame dressing! I hope your family will enjoy the salad recipes! xo 🙂
This recipe looks amazing! I’m living in Japan right now so it really helps to learn recipes that make use of all the ingredients in the local grocery store! I just have a question though, about how long do you think this would stay good in the fridge after making? Thanks!
Hi Maria! Wonderful! You have no problem finding Japanese ingredients! 🙂 You can keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or so. The cucumber will lose crispness though as it’s been “pickled” in the vinegar sauce. 🙂
The recipe doesn’t say what to do with the vinaigrette. I mixed it with the other ingredients and it was good. Is it a marinade or a dipping sauce?
Hi Brian! Thank you for noticing my unfinished recipe! You mix the vinaigrette with other ingredients and serve immediately, or you can chill for 30 minutes before serving. 🙂
I thought this was a spicy octopus cucumber salad. I usually have it at this restaurant near my home in Fl. I would love to spice it up. It sounds looks and sounds lovely. I will try to make regardless.
Hi Saurie! Most of sunomono (vinegared salad) in Japan is not spicy, but of course you can arrange it to be spicy with Shichimi Togarashi (https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/shichimi-togarashi/) or any of the spices you have. Thank you for your feedback and I hope you will enjoy this recipe! 🙂