Pulpo a la gallega or Galician-style octopus is a traditional Galician dish. It has become such a favorite among Spaniards that it is now served in many restaurants and tapas bars throughout the country. Most often you will meet it as an appetizer (tapas), but sometimes it can be an independent dish. The most important thing in the recipe is to achieve softness and tenderness of the meat. The classic dish is seasoned with paprika, olive oil and coarse salt, it can also be served with boiled potatoes.
Octopus in Galician also has a national name – polbo á feira (although sometimes the Spaniards, mixing two languages, say pulpo a feira). Traditionally, octopus was boiled in a copper cauldron and served at religious and national holidays or fairs (the latter is translated as “feira”).
There are quite a few recipes where the Atlantic mollusk appears. But the Galician octopus, seasoned with olive oil, paprika and coarse salt, remains the leader.
Ingredients for octopus
- Octopus — 1.2 kilograms
- Bay leaf — 1 pc.
- Сelery —2 stalks
- Garlic a few cloves
- Lemons —1 (cut in half)
- Black pepper — a few grains
- Salt —to taste
Ingredients for sauce
- Parsley to taste
- Shallots — 20 g.
- Lemon juice — 2 tbs.
- Olive oil — 3 tbs.
Ingredients for Potato
- Potatoes — several small
- Garlic — a few cloves
- Paprika powder — a pinch
- Smoked paprika — a pinch
- Olive oil — 2 tbs.
- Parsley — to taste
- Salt — to taste
How to cook pulpo a la Gallega
Step 1. Let’s get cooking that octopus! Get yourself a pot of water, and throw in some bay leaves, chopped celery, garlic cloves, lemon, pepper, salt, and a splash of vodka for good measure.
Step 2. When the water starts to boil, take that octopus by the head and give it a good dip in the pot three times. This will help those tentacles curl up just right and prevent the meat from getting too tough.
Step 3. Boil the octopus for about 35 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it soak up all those delicious flavors in the hot broth for a couple of hours.
Step 4. Now, let’s whip up a zesty sauce. Finely chop up some onions parsley and mix it all together with some lemon juice and olive oil. Let it marinate for a bit to really bring out the flavors.
Step 5, Wash up some potatoes and leave the skins on. Once they’re cooked and cooled, cut them in half.
Step 6. Fry up those potatoes in a pan with some olive oil, garlic and spices. Once everything’s nicely mixed, toss in some chopped parsley at the end.
Step 7. Time to cut off one or two tentacles from the center of the octopus, and either fry them up in a pan or grill them to perfection.
Step 8. Arrange those delicious potatoes on a plate, then top with your octopus tentacles. Drizzle some of that zesty sauce over everything, and garnish with a slice of fried lemon. You’ve just created the perfect meal, so treat yourself!
