Makarouna bel salsa is Tunisia’s pasta in red sauce: a tomato sauce spiced up with harissa, scented with caraway and coriander, slowly simmered until thick and glossy. Along the Tunisian coast it is very often made with seafood, and the octopus version is one of the most loved.
I tasted it in Paris, in the 15th arrondissement, at Maison Didon, on a Sunday in September 2026. A generous plate, tender octopus and a sauce with just the right kick: exactly what I love about Tunisian food.
Here is the traditional recipe as it is made at home. The octopus is first cooked gently, then its broth is used to loosen the sauce, which gives the pasta a huge amount of flavor. It takes a little time, but most of it is just simmering.
The story of that day: 🇫🇷 Paris - The Gastronomy Festival at Concorde and a rooftop facing the Eiffel Tower
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
Octopus
- 1 octopus of about 1 kg, cleaned
- 1 bay leaf
Sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground caraway
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Pasta
- 400 g pasta (spaghetti, macaroni or penne)
Method
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil with the bay leaf. Dip the octopus in three times for a few seconds so the tentacles curl, then leave it in the water.
- Cook the octopus at a gentle simmer, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tip of a knife slides easily into the thick part of the tentacles. Drain it, keeping 500 ml of the broth, then cut it into 2 to 3 cm pieces.
- In a large deep pan, heat the olive oil and cook the finely chopped onion for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and harissa and fry them for 2 minutes, stirring: in Tunisia they say you fry the sauce, and that is what gives it color and depth. Add the paprika, coriander and caraway.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, the octopus pieces and 300 ml of the cooking broth. Season lightly with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, until the sauce thickens and the oil rises to the surface.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, draining it 2 minutes before the time given on the package.
- Tip the pasta into the pan and let it finish cooking for 2 to 3 minutes in the sauce, adding a little of the remaining broth if needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve piping hot.
Tips and variations
- Octopus that has been frozen and thawed becomes more tender: it is the fishermen's trick to avoid tenderizing it by hand.
- Do not salt the octopus cooking water, it is naturally salty and the flesh would stay firmer.
- You can replace the octopus with squid or cuttlefish, cooking them for 30 minutes directly in the sauce.
- Some families cook the pasta directly in the sauce with the broth: it soaks up even more flavor.
- Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and reheat well in a pan with a splash of water.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.