Pulpo con pimentón (Spanish octopus with paprika)

 I love eating octopus! Growing up it was not a commonly eaten food in Australia and was not easily purchased. Thankfully that has changed, and now octopus is found at most fishmongers. Sometimes it is baby octopus - these are amazing grilled, served with crisp lettuce, black kalamata olives, goat cheese and a light vinaigrette. 

My Maltese relatives would often cook a delicious octopus stew in a rich tomato sauce with potatoes and capers that is served on spaghetti. My aunty Vivi always said that you needed to add the red wine cork into the stew to prevent the octopus from being tough. Never one to argue with Auntie Vivi I always obliged and never had a tough octopus. That could be because after a cup of wine went into the pot, the rest of the bottle was drunk by the cook because there was no cork - and you can't let good wine go to waste! But, that's not what I am cooking today. 

In 2017 I was fortunate enough to undertake two wonderful days at the MIMO Basque Cooking school in San Sebastian. Our fabulous tutors laughed at the suggestion of the wine cork to make the octopus tender. They described how the process of shocking the octopus by dunking it into the boiling water helps convert the tough collagen in the tentacles to silky and tender gelatin. It is very important that you are patient with the gentle simmering. It is also so much easier to portion the octopus once cooked, rather than trying to do it when raw.

Interestingly, octopus actually benefits from freezing. The freezing process helps to tenderise the tentacles. Just make sure to thaw it in your fridge before cooking.

The other important ingredient in this dish is paprika. There are three main types of paprika: sweet, smoked and hot. They are not really interchangeable and provide very different flavour profiles. Sweet paprika adds vibrant color to any dish. It has a sweet pepper flavour, without any heat. Smoked paprika is made from peppers that are smoked and dried over oak fires. This process gives the red powder a rich, smoky flavour. You can find this smoked variety in mild, medium-hot, and hot. True Spanish pimentón is produced using traditional techniques and comes from specific areas in Spain, as per the European Union's laws. Hot paprika is the Hungarian variety of paprika. (https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/essential-ingredients/whats-the-difference-between-sweet-hot-and-smoky-paprika). In this dish I have used sweet and hot smoked paprika to give the distinct flavour with a tingle on the tongue.

In Spain octopus is often cooked as described here, and served as pintxos or tapas. Crusty bread with a slice of potato and a slice of octopus drizzled with paprika oil. Just delicious but rarely gluten-free :( 

I've served mine with a capsicum emulsion and Spanish sea salt.

To watch me make Spanish octopus with paprika click on the YouTube link below the recipe.

Emulsion:

• 3 red capsicums

• 1 tbl red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup olive oil

Blacken the capsicum skins over an open flame. Place capsicums in a plastic bag to sweat.

Gently remove the skins - it's ok that small flecks of black remain. Remove all the seeds. Chop roughly and place in a blender. Add the vinegar and process to a fine puree. Slowly add the oil in the same way as making a mayonnaise. Season with salt to taste.

Recipe

Serves 4-6

• Adult octopus - approx 1 kg

• Sea salt 

• 5 g sweet paprika

• 5 g hot paprika (pimentón)

• Olive oil

Bring a large pot of water with 2 generous pinches of sea salt to the boil.

Dunk the whole octopus into the water for 5 seconds then remove. Dunk the octopus for a second time for 5 seconds then remove. Dunk the octopus for a third and final time for 5 seconds then remove.

Return the water to a gentle boil. Place the octopus in the water and gently boil for 30 - 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the octopus in the water for another 30 minutes. The top of the legs should be tender when gently squeezed.

Remove the octopus from the water. Remove all the legs from the body. Portion the octopus into serving size pieces. Discard the hood and beak sections.

Mix the two types of paprika with some olive oil. 

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy frypan on a low heat and gently fry the octopus for 2 minutes on each side. Brush each piece of octopus with the paprika mixture and return to the hot pan. Be careful not to burn the paprika. Fry on each side for 2 minutes. Serve with he roasted capsicum emulsion, and season with sea salt flakes.

I recommend eating this with crusty bread, and some boiled kifler potato that have been sliced and brushed with remaining paprika paste.

Updated October 2023