🛒 Ingredients
- 1 medium octopus (1.5-2 kg)
- 4 medium potatoes
- High-quality extra virgin olive oil
- Sweet paprika from La Vera
- Spicy paprika from La Vera
- Coarse salt
👨🍳 Step-by-step instructions
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Freeze the octopus for 48 hours if not fresh (this breaks down fibers and tenderizes it). Thaw in the refrigerator.
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Shock the octopus: dip it in and out of boiling water three times before starting the final cooking.
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Simmer in unsalted water for 45–50 minutes. Pierce the thickest part of the tentacle—it should go through without resistance.
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Cook the potatoes in the octopus water with salt. Serve on a wooden board if possible.
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Cut the octopus into slices using scissors. Arrange over the potatoes. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
💡 Chef's tip
Scare the octopus three times by dipping it in and out of boiling water before the final cook: this keeps the skin from falling off.
📝 Our take
Galician octopus has a secret that fair cooks don't share: unsalted cooking water. It's seasoned only when serving, with coarse Maldon salt. Pimentón de La Vera is essential — sweet unsmoked paprika gives a completely different result. When the octopus has that slight resistance to the bite, without mushiness, it's perfect.
🍷 Wine & food pairing
Albariño from Rías Baixas, chilled. This is the wine drunk with octopus in Galicia and the combination is perfect: Atlantic acidity against the iodine depth of the cephalopod.
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