Spain · Octopus

Galician Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil

Name: Galician Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Galicia, Spain
Ingredients: 1 whole octopus (4–4½ lb / 1.8–2 kg), cleaned, frozen and thawed; 1 onion, peeled and halved; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp flaky or coarse sea salt; 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce); ½ tsp hot paprika (pimentón picante); ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pulpo á Feira

The fair-day octopus of Galicia: boiled in a big copper pot, snipped into rounds on a wooden plate and finished with coarse salt, paprika and good olive oil. Simple and perfect.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
Level Medium

Photo: Dylanmonch vigo · CC BY-SA 3.0

Served with: Galician Paprika Potatoes ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the octopus

1 whole octopus (4–4½ lb / 1.8–2 kg), cleaned, frozen and thawed
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves

To finish

1 tsp flaky or coarse sea salt
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)
½ tsp hot paprika (pimentón picante)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

Bring the water up. Fill a large pot with unsalted water, add the onion and bay leaves and bring to a rolling boil.
Scare the octopus. Hold the octopus by the head and dip it into the boiling water for 3 seconds, lift it out, and repeat 3 times. The tentacles will curl up nicely.
Simmer. Lower it into the pot, return to a gentle simmer and cook 40–50 minutes, until a skewer slides into the thickest part of a tentacle with little resistance.
Rest. Turn off the heat and let the octopus sit in the hot water 10 minutes so the skin stays on and the meat stays juicy.
Cut and dress. Snip the tentacles into ½-inch (1 cm) rounds with kitchen scissors onto a wooden board or plate. Sprinkle with salt and both paprikas and pour the olive oil over. Serve warm with cachelos.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Galicia, Spain

Galician Paprika Potatoes

Cachelos

Chunky boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, sweet paprika and coarse salt. In Galicia they go under octopus and next to every hake and cod.

Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
Level Easy

You need

2 lb (900 g) waxy potatoes (Kennebec or Yukon Gold)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp salt, for the water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón)
Coarse sea salt to finish

How to make it

Cut rustic. Peel the potatoes and cut them into big irregular chunks about 2 inches (5 cm), snapping the last part of each cut so the edges are rough.
Boil. Cover with cold water, add the bay leaf and salt and simmer 18–20 minutes until just tender. Drain.
Dress. Lay on a wooden board or platter, sprinkle with coarse salt and paprika and drizzle the olive oil over everything.

Photo: juantiagues · CC BY-SA 2.0

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