Pulpo a la Gallega

Ingredients

• 1 whole (1.7 to 2kg) octopus
• potatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• sweet and spicy red pepper
• salt
• olive oil

Method

Fill a large pot with water, salt it generously (about 20g per litre), and add the bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil. The salt serves two purposes: it seasons the flesh directly and raises the boiling point marginally, which matters when cooking dense muscle. Have the octopus at room temperature.

Submerge the octopus completely, then withdraw it after 10 seconds. Repeat this three times — this is called "scaring" or "shocking" the octopus, and it causes the exterior muscle fibres to contract and seal, trapping the interior moisture and preventing the flesh from becoming waterlogged during the long cook. After the third plunge, leave it submerged. Maintain a gentle but steady boil. The octopus will release purple-tinged liquid into the water; this is normal and indicates the muscle is relaxing and breaking down. After 30 minutes, pierce the thickest part of a tentacle with a sharp knife. The flesh should offer almost no resistance—it should slide through like soft butter. If there's still firmness at the core, cook for another 5–10 minutes and test again. Octopus size varies; a 2kg specimen typically needs 35–45 minutes from that first submersion.

Once tender, turn off the heat and leave the octopus in the cooking liquid for 20 minutes. This residual heat continues the gentle seafood-cookery|cooking process without risk of overshooting; the flesh will continue to soften and any residual toughness will yield. While the octopus rests, boil the potatoes separately in salted water, skins on. A medium potato (about 150g) will be fork-tender in 20–25 minutes; start checking at the 18-minute mark by piercing near the centre.

Remove the octopus and let it cool to handleable warmth. Using kitchen scissors rather than a knife prevents the flesh from tearing and crushing, which bruises the cells and causes moisture loss. Cut the tentacles into coins roughly 1cm thick.

Arrange the halved or quartered potatoes on a plate, layer the octopus over them, then dress generously with spanish-cuisine|fleur de sel or Maldon salt, a pinch of sweet pimentón and a smaller pinch of hot pimentón, and a pour of good-quality olive oil—not merely a drizzle, but enough to coat and carry flavour. The oil matters here; it's the primary flavour vehicle, so use something you'd taste neat.