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A traditional Galician octopus recipe
Galician octopus is a delicious and typical dish from the maritime areas of Spain. It is also very simple to prepare and the consistency of the octopus perfectly complements the flavor of the seasoning of the spices.
Although the dish in general is very simple to prepare, it is necessary that you follow some tips and recommendations so that your dish gets a traditional Spanish seasoning. Therefore, below we explain the preparation process and some additional tips.
Galician octopus ingredients
A fresh octopus weighing two kilos.
A large onion.
5 to 6 medium potatoes washed.
Coarse salt.
Sweet paprika powder.
Ground hot paprika.
Olive oil (the amount you consider necessary).
Recommendations and tips for a perfect recipe
If you buy fresh octopus, the ideal is to freeze it for at least two days and then leave it in the refrigerator to thaw little by little.
For an authentic Galician flavor, it is best to add a little red wine to the water where we will cook the octopus, as it is traditional to prepare it. However, this is completely optional.
It is also traditional that before placing the octopus in the pot, it must be scared. To do this, we take the octopus by the head and submerge it up to the height of the tentacles, and remove 12 times before submerging it completely.
The reason why the octopus should be scared is so that the skin does not come off during cooking.
Once you finish cooking the octopus, reserve the water to cook the potatoes in it, so that they remain with the taste of the octopus.
With this same broth where you cooked the octopus, if you like, you can prepare an excellent and delicious risotto.
Depending on the area of Spain, potatoes are added to this dish or not. Therefore, if you like, do not include them. But, the dish is best complemented with them.
The traditional thing is to serve the potatoes and the octopus on a round wooden plate.
Steps for preparing Galician octopus
Note: In order for you to better understand the execution of the recipe, we will divide the process into phases.
Preparing the octopus for cooking
Clean the octopus very well to remove the remains of dirt and the skin or skin of the head and tentacles. Next, with the help of scissors, extract the eyes by cutting around the sockets and wash very well.
Subsequently, we turn the octopus and press behind the mouth so that this sprout, and finally we remove it by hand. Likewise, wash the empty mouth socket.
Place a bowl or pot with enough water on the stove over high heat and add a whole onion so that the water is heated together with the onion. Then we wait for it to boil.
Add a splash of red wine to the water where the water is boiled. (Optional).
Octopus cooking
After frightening the octopus (process that is explained in the recommendations), we submerge the octopus completely and let it cook with the head down and the legs up for 40 minutes.
You will know that the octopus is cooked after 40 minutes, when you pierce the octopus and the consistency is creamy on the inside.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the octopus rest for 5 minutes in the pot. This will be the perfect time to prepare the potatoes.
Preparation of the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut into medium pieces, which should not be thick or too large as this will make it difficult for them to cook evenly.
Once the potato pieces have been chopped, and after the octopus rests for 5 minutes, remove it from the pot and place it in a bowl with the head down and the tentacles up.
In this same pot and with the boiling water, add the potato pieces and let them cook for 20 minutes, or until you notice that they are soft.
Once the potatoes are tender and well cooked, strain to avoid losing the cooking broth and let them rest.
Place the potatoes on a round wooden plate and add just a pinch of coarse salt to taste. Reservation.
Cut and season the octopus
To cut the octopus, we will start by cutting the tentacles inside the same bowl, then we take the tentacle to the table and cut into small pieces. We repeat the process with all the tentacles.
We reserve two whole tentacles to prepare them on the grill. Then cut the head into small pieces.
We place the pieces of octopus on the pieces of potatoes on the plate.
Then, we bathe the dish with olive oil to taste and sprinkle the sweet paprika, hot paprika and a little more coarse salt.
For a better appearance, garnish with a few sprigs of mint, basil or chopped parsley. However, this is also optional.
With what to accompany the Galician octopus?
The traditional thing is to accompany this dish with alcoholic beverages, as this is how Galicians usually eat it. Therefore, a good option is to accompany it with a glass of red wine, sherry, white wine, rosé wine or even a little cognac.
However, if you like a simpler alcoholic drink, you might as well have a glass of beer. In case you want to accompany it with a juice, you can accompany it with tropical fruit juice, such as passion fruit juice.
Conclusions of the Galician octopus recipe
The Galician octopus dish is a melt-in-your-mouth delight that perfectly complements the potatoes. Do not forget that with the tentacles that you reserved you can prepare it on the grill, season and taste with fried potatoes preferably.
These dishes are ideal to taste during the summer days to share with all your family or friends. Besides, as you may have noticed, it is very simple to do.
