Paprika octopus

In Spain, they would call this pulpo gallego and serve it as a tapas, but the octopus at Eaglehawk Neck in Tassie are huge and the tentacles are thick and meaty, so this dish forms more of a main course than a tapas.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 kg large octopus tentacles, rinsed and patted dry
• 250 g sea salt
• ½ lemon
• 3 bay leaves
• 300 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 6 purple garlic cloves, finely chopped
• fried potatoes, to serve

Marinating time 25 minutes

Cooling time 30 minutes

Instructions

Rub the octopus tentacles all over with the salt and set aside for 25 minutes. Wash the salt and any slime off the tentacles and place in a large stockpot of cold water with the lemon and bay leaves. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until nearly tender. Drain the octopus and set aside to cool.

Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the oil reaches 150°C. Slice the octopus into 2-3 cm pieces and carefully add to the oil. Gently simmer for 30 minutes or until the octopus is very tender. Make sure the oil doesn’t exceed 150°C or the octopus will boil instead of braise. Remove from the heat and stand the octopus in the oil until cool. Serve with fried potatoes. 

This recipe is from Gourmet Farmer Afloat.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.