In the northwestern corner of Spain, the Galician Octopus is considered a "manjar", or a delicacy.
This dish is eaten on festive days, and it is traditionally common during The Lent Season or Cuaremsa.
Moreover, it has spread throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula and is eaten in almost every bar or tavern across the península.
Baby Galician Octopus Recipe ..
1 fresh Young Octopus ( 1 kilo ) which will serve between 4 to 6 people as a starter ..
Coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
1/3 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil ( 90 ml. )
1 teaspoon of Spanish Pimentón Sweet from La Vera, Extremadura ( smoked sweet paprika )
1 teaspoon of Spanihs Pimentón Spicy
1) Firstly, have your fish monger pound the body and the tentacles of the baby octopus ( you can do as well of course ) with a heavy hammer ( cover the hammer with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap if you prefer).
2) Take care, not to break the octopus up, pressure but not " excessive kill " motions !
3) Heat some salted wáter in a large stock pot and when it comes to a boil, turn the octopus head inside out and hold on to the sides with the tentacles facing downward and slowly immerse in & out ( dunking ) of the boiling salted water.
4) Do this 3 times and then boil the octopus between 35 - 45 minutes until tender. Remember, this is a baby octopus. If you have purchased an adult octopus, it shall require approx. 2 hours to get this octopus tender .. ( Not advised ) ..
5) Prick to see if the baby octopus is tender or not. If not, continue boiling for another 15 minutes approx. until tender ..
6) When tender, remove from the stock pot and let cool for approx .. 15 minutes.
7) Snip the octopus into slices as seen in photo.
8) Drizzle with Evoo and sprinkle the 2 kinds of Smoked Pparika and a touch of salt if you wish.
9) Voila ! Delicious .. Serve with a 100% Albariño White Wine. Enjoy !
This dish is eaten on festive days, and it is traditionally common during The Lent Season or Cuaremsa.
Moreover, it has spread throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula and is eaten in almost every bar or tavern across the península.
Baby Galician Octopus Recipe ..
1 fresh Young Octopus ( 1 kilo ) which will serve between 4 to 6 people as a starter ..
Coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
1/3 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil ( 90 ml. )
1 teaspoon of Spanish Pimentón Sweet from La Vera, Extremadura ( smoked sweet paprika )
1 teaspoon of Spanihs Pimentón Spicy
1) Firstly, have your fish monger pound the body and the tentacles of the baby octopus ( you can do as well of course ) with a heavy hammer ( cover the hammer with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap if you prefer).
2) Take care, not to break the octopus up, pressure but not " excessive kill " motions !
3) Heat some salted wáter in a large stock pot and when it comes to a boil, turn the octopus head inside out and hold on to the sides with the tentacles facing downward and slowly immerse in & out ( dunking ) of the boiling salted water.
4) Do this 3 times and then boil the octopus between 35 - 45 minutes until tender. Remember, this is a baby octopus. If you have purchased an adult octopus, it shall require approx. 2 hours to get this octopus tender .. ( Not advised ) ..
5) Prick to see if the baby octopus is tender or not. If not, continue boiling for another 15 minutes approx. until tender ..
6) When tender, remove from the stock pot and let cool for approx .. 15 minutes.
7) Snip the octopus into slices as seen in photo.
8) Drizzle with Evoo and sprinkle the 2 kinds of Smoked Pparika and a touch of salt if you wish.
9) Voila ! Delicious .. Serve with a 100% Albariño White Wine. Enjoy !
