Pan-Fried Baby Octopus with Potatoes
A very tasty and simple main dish for the whole family! Pan-fried frozen baby octopus with potatoes will appeal not only to seafood lovers, but also to those who love beautiful plating. Whole fried baby potatoes and mini octopus look bright and impressive on the table!
Updated : 06 January, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
400 grams
Octopus
0.25
Lemon
350 grams
New potatoes
2
Garlic
to taste
Parsley
to taste
Hot chili pepper
to taste
Dry spices
to taste
Salt
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to pan-fry frozen baby octopus with potatoes? Prepare the necessary ingredients. Take the baby octopus out of the freezer in advance, transfer it to a container, and place in the refrigerator so it thaws gently. Proper thawing helps preserve nutrients, flavor, color, and beneficial compounds.
Step 2
Rinse the thawed baby octopus thoroughly under running water. Be sure to rinse inside the head cavity, as there may be small pieces of ice and other sea residue. Do not peel the skin off the baby octopus - they are very young and the skin isn’t tough. Keeping the skin adds a sea aroma and flavor.
Step 3
Pour water into a pot, add 2-3 lemon slices, and place over heat. When the water boils, carefully lower the cleaned baby octopus into the boiling water. The tentacles will curl immediately from the heat. Skim off any foam with a slotted spoon. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Note: do not salt the water while boiling, because salt can prevent the octopus from cooking evenly.
Step 4
Remove the pot from the heat and let the baby octopus cool directly in the broth - this lowers the temperature gradually so they cook evenly and the skin stays intact. Once the water and seafood have cooled, remove the lemon slices, drain the octopus in a colander, and let all the broth drip off.
Step 5
Wash the potatoes thoroughly and boil them for 15 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Then drain and let them cool slightly. If you couldn’t buy baby potatoes, use regular potatoes: peel, cut into smaller pieces, and boil the same way.
Step 6
Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it. Over medium heat, fry the baby potatoes until they develop a nice golden crust. Transfer the browned potatoes to a bowl.
Step 7
In the same pan where you fried the potatoes, sauté the finely chopped garlic.
Step 8
As soon as a pleasant garlic aroma appears, add the boiled baby octopus, the fried potatoes, your favorite spices, and salt to the fragrant garlic oil. Stir and briefly sauté over low heat so everything absorbs the garlic aroma and spices.
Step 9
Transfer the finished dish to a plate and sprinkle with chopped herbs and hot chili pepper on top.
Author note
Share the recipe
