Have you ever tried Pipiranna? It is the most delicious Spanish Summer Salad made with onion, tomato, bell pepper, herbs and a cumin-spiked lemony dressing. My special Seafood Pipirrana has cooked octopus and prawns and is ready in 20 minutes. Fresh and perfect for entertaining.
Jump to:
🇪🇸 What is Pipirrana?
Pipiranna is a traditional Spanish summer salad that is made with chopped red tomatoes, onion, red and green bell peppers (capsicum), cucumber, garlic and cumin and vinegar-infused olive oil dressing. It has many different variations but is always cheap and made in a matter of minutes with the freshest ingredients. It is delicious, refreshing and perfect for beating the heat on hot summer days when you don't feel like cooking.
The Andalusian version of Pipirrana often has salty and briny ingredients like olives, sardines, egg or tuna. It is also made with white wine vinegar.
One of our dear friends recently visited Spain and cooked this beautiful seafood version of the famous Pipirrana for us. We loved the addition of octopus and prawn and have been making it ever since. This recipe is a love letter to the very special Pipirrana our friend made for us.
I love how easy and quick it is to make this summer salad. If you are a fan of cold, no-cook, chopped salads like Mango Pico De Gallo, Kachumber or Texas Caviar, then you need to make my Pipirrana right away!
📝 Ingredients & Substitutions
Traditionally, Pipirrana would have bell peppers (capsicum), tomato, cucumber, onion and garlic with a zesty dressing. This is what you will need to make my delicious Seafood Pipiranna salad.
- Ripe red tomatoes - Make sure you deseed them and discard the seeds before dicing them. This prevents the salad from going soggy.
- Cucumber - I use small Lebanese cucumbers. These have a lovely sweetness to them.
- Bell Pepper (Capsicum) - If possible use two different colours for flavour and aesthetics. I have used green and yellow capsicum. Green has a crisp savouriness to it while the yellow ones are sweet and mild in flavour.
- Spring onion - I chose to skip the traditional red onion and add spring onion instead for a less pungent taste. You can substitute with red or white onion.
- Coriander - Fresh coriander is the herb of choice for this summer salad. But if you are part of the "I can't stand coriander!" club, you can easily substitute it with fresh parsley or even oregano.
- Prawns - You can use cooked and peeled prawns to save time and the hassle of cooking. But fresh, raw prawn meat cooked very briefly for 4-5 minutes in a searing hot pan adds a lovely smokiness and makes the prawns juicy.
- Octopus - I buy cooked octopus tentacles from Woolworths. They are available in the fresh packaged seafood section of the store. The brand is Clearly Premium and is a great way to add a gourmet wow factor to your cold salads or starters. If you can find octopus, add more prawns.
- Pipirrana Dressing - Salt, pepper, fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and a touch of ground cumin make this dressing extra zesty and delicious.
🦐 How to make Seafood Pipirrana?
- Rinse the fatty residue off the cooked octopus tentacles and pat dry.
- Cook the raw prawn meat on a hot pan with a dash of oil for 3-5 minutes until the prawns are opaque and cooked through.
3. Chop the cooked octopus and prawns into bite-sized pieces.
4. Make the Pipirrana dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
5. Add cucumber, green and yellow capsicum, tomato, coriander, spring onion, octopus and prawn in a large serving bowl.
6. Add the salad dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
🍽️ Serving & Storage
This Seafood Pipiranna can be served at room temperature when it is freshly made or served chilled after storing in the fridge for 1-2 hours. The best way to enjoy this delightful Spanish summer salad is just with a spoon from the bowl.
Fully assembled Pipiranna salad keeps fresh in the fridge for one day. Freezing is not recommended.
Serve it as a fresh appetizer at the start of a Mexican, Spanish or Italian-inspired meal. Serve this Pipirrana salad alongside these delicious main dishes and cocktails as a two-course meal.
- Aperol Spritz and Pasta Alla Norma
- Mango Margarita and Taco Rice
- A table full of dishes for sharing like Pesto Focaccia, Italian Tuna Tartare, Potato Fish Cakes, Zucchini Halloumi Fritters and a Tiramisu Martini for a dessert cocktail.
Recipe FAQs
Pipirrana is a fresh chopped summer salad. Like Ceviche and crudo, it is meant to be prepared and consumed while still fresh. Freezing is not recommended.
Traditional Pipirrana is a vibrant summer salad made with fresh vegetables and herbs. It is super healthy. The seafood version that has prawns and octopus can be higher in calories and cholesterol, so should be enjoyed in moderation.
🥗 More Summer Salad Recipes
Recipe
Hungry For More Recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter. Check out Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see everything I share! And if you love cooking and new cookbooks, join my free Cooking Club on Facebook!
Seafood Pipirrana - Spanish Summer Salad
Ingredients
- 2 spring onions, sliced, green only
- 1/2 (60 g) green capsicum (bell pepper), diced
- 1/2 (60 g) yellow capsicum (bell pepper), diced
- 2 (200 g) tomatoes, deseeded and diced
- 1 (100 g) cucumber, deseeded and diced (Lebanese variety)
- (200 g) raw prawn meat, cooked and diced
- (200 g) cooked octopus, diced
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
For Pipirrana Dressing
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Pipirrana dressing by mixing all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Set this aside for at least 15 minutes. This helps the garlic mellow and develop a beautiful flavour.
- Cook prawn meat by heating a cast iron pan on high. You can either dry fry the prawn meat for 4-5 minutes until the prawns are opaque and cooked through or add a dash of olive oil and cook them for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Cool them slightly and chop them before adding to the salad.
- to make the Seafood Pipirrana, add spring onion, tomato, cucumber, bell peppers (capsicum), coriander, octopus, prawns and dressing to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Serve the Seafood Pipirrana immediately or chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Notes
- Octopus - Cooked octopus tentacles can be found in the packaged seafood aisle of supermarkets. You can substitute octopus with prawn.
- Prawns - If you can't find raw prawn meat, cooked prawns will save you time.
- Capsicum (Bell Peppers) - Use two different colours, either green, red or yellow.
- Spring onion - This can be substituted with red or white onion.
- Coriander - Can be substituted with fresh parsley or oregano.
- Storage - Fully assembled Pipirrana salad will stay fresh in the fridge in an air-tight container for one day.
0 Comments