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Octopus "a feira" is a traditional Galician dish featuring tender whole octopus on a bed of boiled potatoes, flavored with bay leaf and sprinkled with paprika.
Ingredients
Servings
4
Measurement units
Ingredients
- 1 kgwhole octopus
- 1 kgpotatoes
- 1 fullabay leaf
- 1 onion
- a pinch of black pepper
- a pinch of sweet paprika
Nutritional Information
Per serving
Calculated for 4 servings
Calories
423 kcal
Protein
43.1 g
Fat
2.9 g
Carbohydrates
55.1 g
Calculated from reviewed ingredient weights and pinned USDA FoodData Central records.
Step-by-step Guide
Preparation
- Bring sufficient water to a boil in a large pot (about 8 liters) until it reaches the boiling point.
- When the water is boiling, immerse the whole octopus for a few seconds and remove it immediately (this is the first blanching).
- Wait for the water to return to a full boil.
- Immerse the whole octopus again for a few seconds and remove it immediately (this is the second blanching).
- Wait again until the water returns to the boiling point.
- Submerge the whole octopus one last time for a few seconds and remove it immediately (this is the third blanching).
- Return the octopus to the pot, reduce the heat to low intensity, and let it cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, until it is tender when pierced with a knife.
- Remove the octopus from the pot and let it cool at room temperature.
- Slice the octopus tentacles into medium-thick slices.
- Boil the potatoes with their skin in a generous amount of salted water for 30 minutes. You can also boil the potatoes in the water where you previously boiled the octopus to take advantage of the flavor.
- Once the potatoes are cold, slice them into rounds.
- For presentation, place a base of potato slices on the plate.
- Arrange the slices of octopus over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle a bit of sweet paprika on top and add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Recommendations & Tricks
- If the octopus is fresh, freeze it 2 or 3 days; that is essential for tenderness. You can buy it already cleaned and frozen.
Original recipe
View or download the original PDF document.