Pulpo a la gallega

Ingredients

• 3⅓ lboctopuswhole, cleaned; frozen beforehand or pounded to tenderize
• 4potatoesmedium, boiled and sliced as a base
• saltcoarse or flaky, for sprinkling
• 2 tsppaprikasweet, hot or mixed, for dusting
• 5 tbspolive oilgenerously, for drizzling
• 21⅛ cupswaterplenty, for cooking
• 2bay leafadded to the cooking water (optional)
• 1onionhalved, added to the cooking water (optional)
• white breadfor dipping in the oil (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the octopusClean the octopus. To make it tender, freeze it beforehand and let it thaw in the fridge the day before you cook it, or give it a good pounding with a wooden mallet instead.
2. Bring the water to the boilBring plenty of water to the boil in a large pot. If you like, add the bay leaves and the halved onion.
3. Dip and cook the octopusHold the octopus by the head and dip it briefly into the boiling water about three times, lifting it out each time. Then lower it in completely and cook until done, depending on its size.
4. Test for donenessCheck it as it cooks: push a wooden skewer into the thickest part of a tentacle. The octopus should be tender but still have a slight bite.
5. Rest in the cooking waterTake the pot off the heat, cover it and let the octopus rest in the cooking water for 15 to 25 minutes. Then lift it out and let it cool until just warm.
6. Cook the potatoesMeanwhile, cook the potatoes, drain them and cut them into slices.
7. Slice the tentaclesCut the tentacles into slices about 1 cm thick with kitchen scissors or a knife.
8. Arrange on the potatoesSpread the potato slices over a plate, ideally a wooden one, and season them with olive oil and coarse sea salt. Lay the octopus slices on top, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and pimentón, and drizzle generously with olive oil.
9. Serve straight awayServe straight away with toothpicks and country bread.

Tips and variations

For the classic á feira version, leave out the potatoes and serve just the octopus with coarse sea salt, pimentón and oil. In Carballiño, in the province of Ourense and considered the birthplace of pulpo á feira, the octopus is cooked with a firm bite, and around Ourense a mix of hot and sweet pimentón is the norm. You can also cook the potatoes in the same pot alongside the octopus, or afterwards in the flavourful cooking water. A splash of olive oil in the cooking water doesn't hurt, and if you keep it at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, the skin won't tear. The head can go on the plate too, or you can save it for croquettes or dumplings. To serve, put the wooden plate in the middle of the table with toothpicks and enough bread that not a drop of oil goes to waste.