Polbo á Feira (Galician Style Octopus) is a traditional Spanish recipe (from Galicia) for a classic dish of boiled octopus served dressed with olive oil and accompanied by paprika peppers. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Spanish version of: Galician Style Octopus (Polbo á Feira).
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The octopus dish polbo á feira takes its name from the Galician fairs or pilgrimages where the octopus is served under huge tents in typical wooden dishes before a crowd of people seated on the sides of long tables. On those tables, simplicity frames this delicious delicacy; paper napkin dispensers, flat toothpicks that can be used as cutlery and plastic bread baskets in which a unique bread is served. This is considered a national dish of Galicia and of Spain.
Ingredients:
1 octopus of about 2.25kg
1 onion
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sweet paprika
Hot paprika
Coarse sea salt
Potatoes (optional)
Method:
You can use either whole frozen octopus or fresh octopus for this recipe. If using frozen, thaw in the refrigerator the day before preparing it. Once thawed, wash it thoroughly with cold water under running tap water (do the same for a fresh octopus).
The first step to cooking an octopus is to 'scare' it, as they say in Galicia. This means dipping the octopus in boiling water briefly to bring it up to temperature so that the skin does not peel away from the meat when cooking. Cut an onion in half and add to a large pot (it must be large enough to hold the octopus comfortably). Pour in enough water so that when the octopus is added it will be completely covered. Bring the mixture to a boil then, as soon as boiling, take the octopus by the head, dip it into the boiling water and remove it. Repeat this step 3 times.
Once the octopus is 'scared', fully submerge it in the boiling water, reduce the heat a little to keep it medium-high when cooking and let it cook between 30 and 40 minutes with the pot uncovered. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the octopus and the hardness of the water.
Once the desired cooking time has passed, check whether the octopus is done by pricking the top of one of the tentacles with a fork. It should feel tender, although with slight resistance. If it is hard, let it cook a little longer.
When the octopus is cooked to your liking, remove the pot from the heat, cover it and let the octopus rest in the water for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the octopus from the pot and cut the tentacles into 1.5–3cm thick slices using kitchen scissors. Reserve the head for another preparation, such as a stir-fry or croquettes.
If you want to serve the octopus with potatoes, polbo á feira con cachelos as it is known in Galicia, use the cooking water from the octopus to cook the potatoes while you're chopping up the octopus; although serving the octopus with potatoes is completely optional.
To finish, serve the octopus slices on a plate, typically a wooden one, and dress it with extra virgin olive oil, and ground sweet or hot paprika or a mixture of both according to the taste of your guests and, finally, coarse sea salt. If you want to accompany the octopus with potatoes, serve them in a separate dish.
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