Pulpo a la Gallega: Pride of Galicia

Oct 23rd, 2008 by Amy and Jonny

The first time I ate pulpo a la gallega was at a very disreputable-looking food stand not far from the Estadio Balaídos in Vigo, Spain, before watching a soccer match between Celta de Vigo and Racing Santander (it finished 2-2). It was served on a slightly wilted plastic plate with a toothpick that looked suspiciously blunt at one end, as if it had already been used. I was absolutely sure I was going to have raging diarrhea because of this lack of hygiene, but ate the whole plate anyway. Sure enough, two hours after the end of the match, I rushed back to the hotel holding on to my bowels for dear life.

The second time, things improved considerably, reclining, as we were, in some old oak chairs in a tapas bar in Madrid earlier this year after a morning in El Museo del Prado. The only unpleasant feeling came from our sadness when the generous racione was finished. While pondering these feelings, Amy and I came to the conclusion that it’s one of the world’s greatest snack foods. Chewy, salty, sweet and filling, healthy and satisfying, pulpo a la gallega is simply chopped boiled octopus in the Galician style – dressed with sea salt, olive oil and sweet pimenton – and in Galician pulperias is commonly served on a wooden board with toothpicks. Like so many tapas, and Spanish dishes generally, it is achingly simple, and yet unbelievably good. Add anything to it and it becomes something else, take something away and it’s missing a key element.

That said, this, the signature dish of the region, is sometimes made with potatoes and when it is, is normally cooked on a hot plate and referred to as pulpo a la plancha. Another variation, pulpo a la feria, or pulpo a la feira in Gallego (the local dialect that sits somewhere between Spanish and Portuguese) is traditionally cooked in a copper kettle which gives the purple (when cooked) octopus a more orangey color and interesting minerally-taste. When such traditional vessels are unavailable (like virtually everywhere), a copper coin is often tossed in to the boiling water.

In an effort to do it all in one dish, as we only had one octopus – we boiled the ‘pus with a copper coin and boiled some potatoes separately, then combined them on the plate with the salt, pimenton and olive oil. It was delicious. The texture of octopus might be off-putting for some, as it’s kind of chewy on the outside and “crunchy” on the inside, but I love it, and when cut into inch-long chunks it makes a fantastic finger-food, if your guests are adventurous enough to try it. Not only that, but it’s easy to prepare and octopus is pretty reasonably priced.

Pulpo a la Gallega

Ingredients

1 pre-frozen medium octopus – around 1lb, pre-cooked (if not pre-frozen, freeze it for 24 hours)

2 quarts/ (roughly) 2 liters water, boiling

1 bay leaf, 1/2 onion, 1/4 cup vinegar (optional)

2 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and balled (using a melon-baller)

2-3oz extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp pimenton dulce/sweet paprika

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Recipe

Gently boil octopus in 2 quarts/2 liters salted water, remembering to add a copper penny, for 1 hr. (Some recipes call for bay leaf, onion, and vinegar, some not, in the water. Our experience tells us adding a 1/4 cup of white vinegar helps to tenderize the ‘pus a little)

Allow to cool before slicing into 1inch/2cm chunks.

Dress with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with pimenton and salt.

Serve with lots of crusty bread and a bottle of something cool and white, perhaps a Galician Albarino, Ribeiro, or a Portugese vinho verde.

Note: our friend CanaryGirl has also made Pulpo a la Gallega and her technique for boiling the octopus is rather different from ours. Check her out and feel free to tell us which you think worked best.

Check out some other posts you may enjoy:

41 Responses to “Pulpo a la Gallega: Pride of Galicia”

on 23 Oct 2008 at 8:59 am1Julia

Looks fantastic! I’m glad you gave octopus a second chance.
on 23 Oct 2008 at 9:12 am2Choosy Beggar Tina

I have concerns about this, will you help me out? I’ve never made octopus, only calamari (large, small, tentacles, stuffed – loves it). I’m always careful not to over-cook it because in the time it takes to snap your fingers it can go from delightful and tender to a rubber bullet. Is cooking octopi that different? After an hour of boiling can you still chew it? Please tell me more!
on 23 Oct 2008 at 9:28 am3Chris

Wow, wow, wow… looks really good. I’ve never cooked octopus either — and somehow I doubt I’ll be able to sneak this one onto Lisa’s plate…
on 23 Oct 2008 at 9:36 am4[eatingclub] vancouver || js

That looks fantastic! I love the combination of octopus and potatoes and I can imagine sitting down to a TV show with a plate of this in hand.
on 23 Oct 2008 at 9:36 am5admin

Julia/Chris – we’ve cooked octopus only once before – when we made a Livornese Fish Stew, but never as the focus of the dish.

Tina – you’re right. squid does that. I think Mario Batali said it’s either 30 seconds or 30 minutes – anything in between and you have rubber. Octopus is slightly different as it firms up a lot during boiling and when cooked right it’s only really the outer layer that is a bit chewy, the inside is crunchy and firm, and feels nice under the tooth – almost, if you will, like an al dente pasta. But if you don’t cook octopus long enough it doesn’t get tender and stays rubbery, and that’s when most people will encounter the textural issues. Give it a try, a tip is to add a little vinegar to the cooking water to aid in tenderizing the ‘pus.
on 23 Oct 2008 at 12:02 pm6Núria

How delicious! I love it I also have it in my blog and since it was my first time cooking it, Pilar who lives in Galicia and knows what she talks about taught me some tips! Go and check her site and Galician recipes. http://lacocinadelechuza.blogspot.com/2008/10/receta-gallega-pulpo-feira.html
on 23 Oct 2008 at 1:29 pm7Peter

I’ve been a big octopus fan since the early 80′s and I just wish it would go down in price….damn sushi lovers.

As for the texture you described when eating the octopus…I find the optimum to be a crisp outside, tender inside. I approach the ‘pus more like Nikki’s (Canarygirl).
on 23 Oct 2008 at 3:02 pm8admin

Nuria – thank you for the link. I think I’ve been to Pilar’s site before but hadn’t seen her pulpo a la feria. We followed (with a degree of license) the recipes found in Penelope Casas’ “The Foods and Wines of Spain” and Jose Andres’ “Tapas…” neither of which call for the “dunking” Pilar does. Neither Casas nor Andres are Gallegos so maybe they are wrong, but clearly opinion is divergent on the best way to cook an octopus!

Peter – interesting that you should describe it as tender inside. Maybe I shouldn’t have said “crunchy”, but I’ve eaten my fair share of octopus over the years too, and while it might be tender compared to the outside, to me tender is the center of a perfect fillet mignon, whereas octopus always feels like it has more resistance to the tooth. Still, I suspect we’re talking about the same feeling, just describing it in different ways. And, I wonder if the price is due to sushi-eaters? worth investigating, methinks…
on 23 Oct 2008 at 10:59 pm9Pia

I absolutely love pulpo and the best one I ever had was in Santiago de Compostela. I was there for a few days and I had pulpo for dinner at the same place every night; served on a wooden plate with a boiled potato underneath. I have never cook it myself, but I heard about the “dunking”to curl up the tentacles. I also read the book “Heat”where Mario Batali said “said it’s either 30 seconds or 30 minutes – anything in between and you have rubber”.
Needless to say: I love your blog
on 24 Oct 2008 at 2:01 am10canarygirl

Oooooh! Pulpo! One of the best things evah! I’ll have to give your version a try. Do you guys like spicy? I usually make this with spicy paprika rather than sweet–gives it an extra kick. I like the balled potatoes, too! Cool! ps..thanks so much for the mention!
on 24 Oct 2008 at 8:56 am11admin

Pia – santiago is a wonderful place. I feel like I should have had pulpo there too, but instead bust a gut eating empanadillas de atun – life is tough sometimes, huh? thanks for the compliments and thanks for visiting!

Nikki/CG – you’re welcome, and I noticed your use of spicy paprika. we definitely do love spicy, probably too much, but elected to go sweet this time. Spicy next time though. Balled potatoes were a “foodgawker” touch, it’s sad to admit. Still, looks kind of cool!
on 24 Oct 2008 at 1:14 pm12Joan Nova

This is the food of ‘my peeps’…my ancestry comes from La Coruna in Galicia. That said, while I love it, I never ventured to try cooking so props to you guys and for fabulous photos. Makes you want to just dive into the plate!
on 24 Oct 2008 at 3:44 pm13Mike

I’ve never had octopus, but like all your food, you really make it a feast for the eyes. The point about the copper was also an interesting one. I’ve learned my new thing for the day!
on 24 Oct 2008 at 3:53 pm14Gourmet Traveller

Hi there, this is amazing!!! I have just passed an award to you!
on 24 Oct 2008 at 8:34 pm15PeterMarcus

Man that looks tasty. I’ve had octopus in Barcelona, and Mexico, and a zillion sushi restaurants. I used to be guilty about it from their legendary intelligence (they have the ability to observe a shellfish put into a jar, then they will unscrew the jar and get the shellfish), but when I learned their entire lifespan is usually less than a year, (and usually caught right at the very end of that year) I suddenly decided they were quasi-intelligent vegetables and felt a lot less guilty.

This looks so incredibly drool-worthy. I’m simply curious about the penny, though, since American pennies are mostly zinc these days. There’s probably enough copper to do what copper chemically does, but I have this crazy curiosity about the difference between adding 1920′s pennies vs. 1980′s pennies
on 25 Oct 2008 at 10:15 am16heather

this looks delicious! i love the colors, and the idea of adding a copper penny. so creative! i love squid. i lived in italy for about 2 years, and i think, as an italian, it’s a crime not to love squid
on 25 Oct 2008 at 10:15 am17heather

d’oh, of course you used octopus… i like that too, although i didn’t have it as much as squid
on 25 Oct 2008 at 10:19 am18thepinkpeppercorn

There is nothing much better than pulpo in Galicia!! I’ve eaten at a little restaurant in La Coruna, right on the beach, and it is absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing!!!! Now I can try attempt to make this at home, until the next trip. yay!
on 26 Oct 2008 at 11:09 am19noble pig

Wow, this is amazing looking, and so ethnic and rustic and beautiful! Thanks for the food porn.
on 26 Oct 2008 at 11:47 am20Foodycat

This looks a lot more appetising than the plates I saw at Meson Pulpo in Seville! The dishes I saw were much more anaemic looking and not at all tempting. But this I would eat.
on 26 Oct 2008 at 1:51 pm21White On Rice Couple

Octopus is one of the beautiful delicacies of the sea that we need to eat more often! What an amazing dish. I would love to take a bite into that octopus!
Sorry to hear about your diarrhea, I know what it’s like . Been there, done that. Now I have all my serious meds when I travel. I can eat anything now and pop a pill to save my life!
on 26 Oct 2008 at 6:51 pm22courtney

I do love octopus! I just wished it was offered more her. One day I will work up the nerve and cook it myself.
on 27 Oct 2008 at 8:29 pm23Jesse

Very brave of you to give the dish a second chance, especially after such an unfortunate initial experience! Looks like you’ve done justice to the octopus too. Yum!
on 27 Oct 2008 at 10:51 pm24Bren@Flanboyant Eats

i don’t do pulpo but u sure make it look appetizing. i used to eat calamari but things have changed in my diet… bien bonito, amy!
what’s new with you stranger. we don’t chat like we used to
on 28 Oct 2008 at 12:01 am25Jude

I am addicted to this tapa. It’s always the first thing I order in a Spanish restaurant. Thanks for the interesting read!
on 29 Oct 2008 at 11:58 am26Lainey

god that looks good, but there is no one i know who would eat it (aside from me). admittedly, those tentacles are scary.
on 29 Oct 2008 at 4:42 pm27Maria

I love octopus, one of my favorite foods. And, ironically, it’s one of the few things I’ve never cooked myself. Looks like I might have to.
on 01 Nov 2008 at 9:26 am28Rachel

I have never cooked a “‘pus”, and only eaten it once before as some extremely rubbery sushi, so I may just have to give this a try.
on 02 Nov 2008 at 1:11 pm29Marta

vinegar in the water? that’s new!! I put no vinegar, no onion, no bay leaf… it goes just fine with loads of salt (sea water it is said to be the best to boil it)

the copper coin is ok, although better is to use a copper pot…. I use neither (blush)

here is how we do it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marta_gallego/416454529/
on 06 Nov 2008 at 2:04 am30Traci (Soup of The Day)

That looks fabulous — I can’t wait to visit Spain some day. The baby came before we got to visit, now we just need to wait a few years until she’s old enough to go.
on 19 Dec 2008 at 5:33 am31Choosy Beggar Tina

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!

After reading your article ages ago, I finally made octopus (using your method) earlier this week. I had only ever cooked it like squid (flash fried or grilled on high heat for a short period of time) with limited success. Boiling it for an hour and a half totally changed everything. The taste was richer, the texture was TO DIE FOR, and I will never go back.
on 19 Dec 2008 at 12:29 pm32admin

Marta – muchas gracias para su receta y consejo en el cocinar del pulpo gallego! su es la experta!

Tina – glad we could help, and very jealous you’re eating octopus. I mean, we eat it, but want to eat it more often. In fact, it’s just a pity there are only three mealtimes a day.

WORC/Jesse – the “runs” were an unfortunate occurence, but i was sure it was the lack of hygiene and not that pulpo made me feel that way, and making it myself removed any remaining doubt!
on 13 Feb 2009 at 10:52 am33caperberry

thx for the link. looks delicious, will give it a try soon. love the site.
on 13 Sep 2010 at 1:26 am34The longest day | Visit Galicia

[...] with Ramon, and a new client of his Rachel. While Ramon, Amanda and I had feasted on excellent pulpo, calamares and chipirones as well as a great big slice of tuna empanada, poor Rachel (a vegan) had [...]
on 27 Sep 2010 at 2:40 pm35All Kinds Of Crazy « cookblog

[...] oil on very low heat for about an hour while I prepared the other components. I love the Spanish Pulpo a la Gallega, but I had Japan on the brain- so I tried to make a dish that split the difference. I caramelized [...]
on 14 Feb 2011 at 11:57 am36We Are Never Full » Incongruity, Thy Name is Baby Octopus & Fried Eggs

[...] Boil octopi in salted water for 10-12 minutes or until fully cooked. (Longer for adult octopi) [...]
on 10 Mar 2011 at 3:27 pm37Tapas recipe: Galician-style octopus | Go Ring On

[...] To criticism upon the strange post, click here. [...]
on 01 May 2011 at 9:58 am38Three Dishes to Try on your Spanish Vacation

[...] Pulpo al la Gallega is a Spanish dish I have yet to see prepared outside the country. This dish consists of boiled octopus in a traditional olive oil sauce dosed with sweet paprika. On a rare occasion you can find the octopus grilled with other vegetables on a hot plate or cast iron—prepared this way it is known as pulpo a la fiera, and it’s sometimes easier for those unfamiliar with the texture of octopus to handle. The texture of this seafood comes in two forms: the slippery outer layer, and the chewy sometimes crunchy inner muscle of the tentacle. You’ll find this dish is classic finger food served in bars and in more upscale eateries. [...]
on 20 Aug 2012 at 2:12 am39The Entrees Found At Spanish Restaurants Sydney

[...] by a vibrant aquatic ecosystem and has long since capitalized upon the riches of the sea. Pulpo a la Gallega, or Galician Octopus, reflects one such dish that is typical of a Spanish restaurant. These cutlets [...]
on 18 Oct 2012 at 4:47 pm40Joel

Where can I find the traditional wooden plates?
on 19 Oct 2012 at 5:25 pm41Jonny & Amy

@Joel: depending on where you live, a number of places sell them online. for example: http://www.thetapaslunchcompany.co.uk/spanish-food/wooden-kitchenware.