Pulpo a la gallega – octopus on potatoes with pimentón

Tender octopus, sliced over floury potatoes, drizzled with good olive oil and dusted with sweet and smoky pimentón. A Galician festival classic that lives on few ingredients and the right moment — the tentacle must be tender, the oil warm, the paprika fresh.

Fish & Seafood Category
20 MIN Prep time
60 MIN Cook time
4 people Servings
Pulpo a la gallega – octopus on potatoes with pimentón

Preparation

Prepare the octopus

Fully thaw the pre-frozen octopus — freezing breaks down the fibres and makes the flesh tender. Rinse cold and pat dry.

Blanching (asustar)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the bay leaf. Hold the octopus by one arm and dip it three times for a few seconds each into the boiling water, lifting it out again — this curls the arms and keeps the skin intact.

Cook gently

Fully submerge the octopus and simmer gently over medium heat for 40–50 minutes, until the tip of a knife slides into the thickest part of the arm without resistance. Then let it rest in the broth for 10 minutes.

Cook the potatoes

Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until soft, peel and cut into thick slices. Arrange on a pre-warmed wooden plate.

Plating

Cut the octopus into bite-sized slices with scissors and spread over the potatoes. Drizzle generously with olive oil, dust with coarse sea salt and both paprikas. Serve immediately, lukewarm.

Why this wine?

The Caprice meets the octopus with flinty, saline minerality and cool precision — its reductive pull takes up the smoky pimentón, while the fine acidity keeps the warm olive oil fresh and lets the tender tentacle appear light on the palate.
Good to know

Tips & insights

  • Pre-frozen octopus turns out more reliably tender than fresh — freezing breaks down the fibres.
  • Let the octopus simmer gently only, never at a rolling boil, or it turns rubbery.
  • The best pimentón comes from La Vera and is dried over oak smoke — it makes the difference.
  • Serve lukewarm, never ice-cold: only then do the oil and paprika release their aroma.

The wine to pair

See all wines for this category

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