Galicia-style or “a feira” octopus, is a traditional recipe from Galician gastronomy that has reached all the corners of the national territory, served with Galician potatoes or “cachelos”.
Preparation
- The octopus must be softened before cooking. This is done by freezing the octopus for two days to “kill the sinew”, as once the water contained in the octopus has been transformed into ice, this occupies a greater volume and breaks down the tissue, thus making the meat more tender.
- If you have decided to freeze the octopus, one day before cooking it, defrost it on a dish in the fridge, letting the juice run out.
- Put a pan with water and an onion on the hotplate and when it starts to boil add the octopus. Then, hold it by its head, dunking it in the pan three times, before definitely releasing it; this technique is known as “frightening the octopus”.
- The cooking time depends on the size of the piece; so, for example, a 2-kilo octopus will take about fifty minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat, cover the pan and leave for about 15 minutes to prevent the skin falling off.
- In the same water used to cook the octopus, we will boil the peeled potatoes, cut into thick slices. When they are tender, remove from the pan, drain and put aside.
- Just before serving, cut the octopus into quite small pieces using some scissors. Then, season the octopus with a dash of olive oil and sprinkle with sweet paprika, spicy paprika and a lot of coarse salt.