Ingredients
Octopus
- 1octopus, about 2 kg, cleaned
Also
- 1onion, halved
- 1bay leaf
Potatoes
- 1 kgwaxy potatoes, cachelos
- coarse salt
To dress
- 150 mlgood extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsppimentón dulce, sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsppimentón picante, hot
- coarse sea salt
To serve
- wooden plates, traditionally
- cocktail sticks
- bread
- young Ribeiro or Albariño wine
Directions
- Freeze the octopus for at least 48 hours and thaw it completely before cooking. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil with the onion and bay. Do not salt the water.
- Hold the octopus by the head and dip it into the boiling water for a few seconds, then lift it out.
- Repeat this three times, letting the water return to the boil between each. It is said to set the skin so it does not slough off during cooking, and whether or not that is the mechanism, it is universally done.
- Simmer it for about 40 to 50 minutes for a 2 kg octopus, roughly 20 minutes per kilo. Keep it at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, which toughens it. Test it with a skewer into the thickest part of a tentacle, which should go in with slight resistance.
- Cook them whole in their skins until just tender, then peel and slice them thickly. Lay the potato slices on a warm wooden plate. Wooden plates are traditional and they are practical: they hold the heat and they do not cool the oil.
- Arrange the octopus over the potatoes. Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt. Now dust the whole plate with pimentón, both sweet and hot, mixed to taste. Use good Spanish pimentón and dust it over the top rather than mixing it into the oil, so it sits visibly on the surface.
- Pour a great deal of good olive oil over everything. It is a main ingredient rather than a dressing, and a mean pour makes a dry plate. Serve immediately, warm rather than hot, with cocktail sticks and bread.
Technique
- The cooking water is excellent and is used for the potatoes and kept for soup.
- Overcooking is the commonest fault and it cannot be undone.
- It is served warm rather than piping hot, which lets the oil and pimentón come through.
Substitutions
- Ready-cooked octopus, sold vacuum-packed, which is a genuine shortcut.
- Any waxy potato in place of cachelos.
Variations
- Served without potatoes, as pulpo á feira alone.
- Grilled after boiling, for charred edges.
- With a splash of the cooking water on the plate.
History
Galician inland fairs were supplied with octopus traded from the coast; the pulpeiras of O Carballiño cook it in copper pots.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pulpo a la gallega?
Pulpo a la gallega is a main from Spain: boiled octopus over potatoes with paprika, olive oil. Galician inland fairs were supplied with octopus traded from the coast; the pulpeiras of O Carballiño cook it in copper pots.
How long does Pulpo a la gallega take to make?
Pulpo a la gallega takes 20 min plus freezing of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Pulpo a la gallega?
Yes, within limits. Ready-cooked octopus, sold vacuum-packed, which is a genuine shortcut. Any waxy potato in place of cachelos.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pulpo a la gallega?
Freeze the octopus for at least 48 hours and thaw it completely before cooking. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil with the onion and bay. Do not salt the water.
