Name: Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician-Style Octopus)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 250 g Octopus, cooked, sliced into thick rounds; 300 g Potato, peeled and cut into thick slices; 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for finishing; ¾ tsp Paprika, for mild color and flavor; ½ tsp Smoked Paprika, for smoky depth; ¾ tsp Salt, preferably coarse salt; 1 Bay Laurel Leaf, for boiling potatoes; 700 ml Water, for boiling

Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician-Style Octopus)

45 mintotal

40 min hands-on5 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Ingredients

250 gOctopuscooked, sliced into thick rounds
300 gPotatopeeled and cut into thick slices
2 tbspExtra Virgin Olive Oilfor finishing
¾ tspPaprikafor mild color and flavor
½ tspSmoked Paprikafor smoky depth
¾ tspSaltpreferably coarse salt
1Bay Laurel Leaffor boiling potatoes
700 mlWaterfor boiling

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Uses cooked octopus for a practical home version.

Method

Bring the measured water to a boil with the bay leaf and a pinch of the listed salt. Add the potato slices and cook until tender but not falling apart.
Drain the potatoes and arrange them in a single layer on a serving plate while still warm.
Warm the cooked octopus slices briefly in the same pan or in a little hot water, just until heated through.
Place the warm octopus over the potatoes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika, smoked paprika, and the remaining salt.
Serve immediately so the potatoes stay warm and the oil carries the paprika flavor.

How to tell it's done

The potatoes should be tender and the octopus should be warm, firm, and pleasantly chewy, not rubbery.

Getting it right

Tip

Slice the potatoes thick enough to hold the octopus and oil without breaking.

What to serve it with

Serve as a tapa with tomato bread, olives, or a simple green salad.

Common mistakes

The octopus is rubbery.: It should already be cooked tender before this recipe starts, and here it is only warmed through. Boiling or frying it again at this stage tightens it, and octopus that has toughened cannot be softened back.
The paprika tastes raw and dusty.: Sprinkle it over the oil already on the plate, not onto dry potato. It needs the fat to bloom in, and this dish gives it no heat to do that.

Substitutions

Use only cooked Octopus for this practical version; raw octopus needs a much longer tenderizing process.
Use Paprika alone if Smoked Paprika is unavailable, but the flavor will be less smoky.
Do not replace Octopus with fish; the dish depends on octopus texture.

Storing and reheating

Serve immediately — it is meant to be eaten warm, and the potatoes turn waxy as they cool. Cooked octopus keeps two days in the fridge and freezes for two months, which is the sensible way to prepare it in advance.

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