Spain · Fish and Seafood Dishes
Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician Octopus with Potatoes)
Pulpo a la gallega is Galicia's most famous dish and one of the simplest in Spanish cooking — tender slices of boiled octopus laid over soft potatoes on a wooden plate, then finished with nothing but coarse salt, smoked…
Ingredients
- octopus1500 g
- waxy potatoes800 g
- smoked paprika2 tsp
- extra virgin olive oil6 tbsp
- coarse sea salt2 tsp
- bay leaf2 pcs
- onion1 pcs
Method
- 1Freeze the octopus for at least 48 hours, then thaw it in the fridge. Freezing breaks down the muscle fibres and does the work that pounding it against a rock traditionally did.
- 2Clean the octopus: turn out the head, remove the eyes and beak, and rinse well.
- 3Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil with the bay leaf and onion. Hold the octopus by the head and dip it into the water three times, lifting it out each time — this 'scaring' sets the skin and curls the tentacles.
- 4Lower the octopus in fully and simmer, uncovered, allowing roughly 12–15 minutes per kilogram. Test with a skewer at the thickest part of a tentacle: it should slide in with only slight resistance.
- 5Turn off the heat and let the octopus rest in its own water 15–20 minutes, which keeps it tender and stops it tightening.
- 6Meanwhile, boil the peeled potatoes in some of the octopus water until soft, then drain and cut into thick rounds.
- 7Cut the tentacles into 1 cm slices with scissors. Lay the potatoes on a wooden plate, arrange the octopus on top, then season generously with coarse sea salt and smoked paprika and pour over plenty of olive oil. Serve warm.