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Close up of a plate of pulpo a la gallega, galician style octopus garnished with paprika.

Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician Style Octopus)

Last Modified: December 18, 2019 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // January 18, 2014 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it’s an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.

A white square plate with pulpo a la gallega, galician style octopus on top of slices of potato, garnished with paprika on it. On top is a circle plate full of pulpo a la gallega.

One of my favorite local restaurants is a Galician restaurant, perfect for those nights when you are craving a nice big steak. They have an open wood oven in full view where they cook meats from the region and they toast up some tasty thick slices of bread that have been rubbed with cut garlic and olive oil.

Despite the excellent meats that can be found there, though, the region is also famous for some excellent seafood dishes. My husband always wants to order their mussels cooked in a tomato sauce as a starter tapa. My favorite seafood dish of the region, though, is pulpo a la Gallega, or Galician style octopus.

Having a husband who is a fisherman, I have access to the freshest seafood. He normally doesn’t go fishing nearby land, where the octopus are found, but rather goes out a bit further in the hunt of the famous red Denia shrimp. (I’ll write more about them some other day soon). Occasionally, though, I ask him to get me an octopus, or two, so that I can make what is one of my favorite dishes.

Close up top view of two servings of pulpo a la gallega, galician style octopus on a single slice of potato, placed on a black slate platter.

Pulpo a la Gallega is actually very simple to make, and doesn’t use a lot of ingredients.

Octopus is a very tough meat. You don’t want to end up with a tough and rubbery final dish, though. So, there are a few methods of avoiding that.

Traditionally, you “beat” the octopus. This is done by repeatedly bashing it against a big rock. Seriously!

I personally haven’t tried that method myself.

If you don’t need to use the octopus immediately, the most common method is to freeze the octopus for a couple of days. That automatically tenderizes it.

I got my octopus fresh, though, and I wanted to use it soon. So, I decided to experiment with using a slow cooker.

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Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.

Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician Style Octopus) – Slow Cooker Method

Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite healthy seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.
4.67 from 12 votes
Print Rate
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

  • 1 large octopus
  • 1 potato optional
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • paprika
  • salt

Instructions

  • Cut the head off the octopus at its base. Discard it or use it for something else, if you can find a use for it.
  • To keep the skin on the octopus while you cook it, it’s a good idea to “shock” it first by dipping it a few times in boiling water. Boil your water and dip the octopus into the water for 10-20 seconds, and then remove it. Repeat the process twice more until the legs of the octopus curl up.
    Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.
  • Now you can either cook it over the stovetop or in your slow cooker. If you plan to cook it on the stovetop, add the octopus to your boiling water. For the slow cooker method, add your octopus to your slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover it.
    Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.
  • For the stovetop method, continue to boil the octopus for around 45 minutes, until tender.
  • Slow cooker: Cook for around the suggested cooking times of your particular slow cooker. Mine takes about 5 hours at the high position or 8 hours at low. I used the high position, but I’m guessing that you could use either, depending upon which is most convenient for you. You can check the octopus for tenderness by sticking a fork in the thickest part of the legs.
  • To make the boiled potatoes, it’s a good idea to cook them separately in fresh water. If you use the same water, your potatoes will take on a purple color. Serving the pulpo a la Gallega with boiled potatoes is traditional, but optional. My favorite Galician restaurant serves them without.
  • When you have achieved the desired tenderness, take your octopus out of the water, and place on a cutting board.
    Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.
  • Thinly slice the potato, if you are using one, and lay the slices out on your serving plate.
  • Separate the octopus legs, and thinly slice them. Position them over the potato slices or directly on your serving plate.
    Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician Style Octopus, is one of my favorite seafood dishes. Simple, yet flavorful, it's an easy dish to prepare, yet sure to impress.
  • Drizzle the octopus with a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
  • Sprinkle on a little salt and a little bit of paprika. Here in Spain, they usually use a combination of a sweet and a hot paprika for pulpo a la Gallega.
Course Appetizers, Main Dish
Cuisine Spanish
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
A white square plate with pulpo a la gallega, galician style octopus on top of slices of potato, garnished with paprika on the top. On the bottom is a circle plate full of pulpo a la gallega.
Category: Appetizers & Snacks, Life in Spain, Lunch & Dinner, Recipes, Spanish Food & Recipes

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

Previous Post:Two bowls full of homemade zucchini noodles with chopsticks on the top side of the bowls.Recipe for Asian Fried Zucchini Noodles
Next Post:Naturally Sweetened Treats

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Oleg

    December 2, 2019 at 5:13 PM

    Hi Tracy,
    Thanks much for your recipe, I’m going to give it a try today.
    Best regards,
    Oleg

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      December 2, 2019 at 7:03 PM

      I hope you enjoy it, Oleg!

      Reply
  2. Michael Edwards

    May 1, 2018 at 5:33 PM

    This has got to be one of the simplest recipies Ive seen n my hunt on how to cook Octopus. I will definately be trying this this weekend.

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      May 2, 2018 at 6:52 PM

      Hi Michael,
      Definitely, give it a go. People are so scared to try things like octopus where I come from, but it’s one of my favorite foods. My husband is a fisherman, but fishes for an expensive type of shrimp/prawn. I’d take the cheaper octopus over the expensive shrimp any old day. I love it!
      Good luck, and I hope you enjoy it.

      Reply
4.67 from 12 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

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