Pulpo al olivo is a typical Peruvian dish made with octopus and olive mayonnaise. It is often eaten as an entrée or appetizer. This recipe is called easy pulpo al olivo because I’ve included a couple of shortcuts.
The invention of this dish is attributed to Peruvian-Japanese chef Rosita Yimura. My lazy version involves no cooking and minimal preparation by using the following ingredients:
- pre-cooked octopus (see photo below)
- pre-made mayonnaise (I recommend homemade, this olive oil mayonnaise or this avocado oil mayonnaise).
I also used Peruvian botija olives but you may use kalamatas.
Easy pulpo al olivo

Ingredients
- 400g cooked octopus
- 5 black olives (preferably Peruvian botija)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (preferably homemade or see above for recommended brands)
- juice of 1/2 lime
To serve
- 1 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
- lettuce leaves
- crackers
Directions
- Blend olives into a paste.
- Slice octopus, season with lime juice.
- Mix with mayonnaise, serve on lettuce leaves, garnish with parsley. Serve with crackers.