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Spanish

Pulpo a la gallega

Non-vegetarian

Polbo á feira

Tender boiled octopus sliced over warm potatoes and dressed simply with olive oil, smoked paprika and flaky salt. Served on wooden plates at Galician fairs.

Pulpo a la gallega is a Spanish starter from Spain, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with octopus, potato and paprika. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Sliced boiled octopus with paprika and olive oil on a wooden plate
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
1 h
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
342

Ingredients

6 tapas servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the water to a rolling boil with the onion (opens in a new tab) and bay leaves (opens in a new tab). Holding the octopus (opens in a new tab) by the head, dip it in and out three times so the tentacles curl, then lower it in.

  2. Step 2

    Simmer until a skewer slides easily into the thickest part of the tentacles, 40–50 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave in the water for 10 minutes.

    • 45 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Lift out the octopus (opens in a new tab) and boil the potato (opens in a new tab) slices in its cooking water until just tender.

    • 15 min
    • medium heat
    Potatoes boiling in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Lionel Ntasano on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Snip the tentacles into 1 cm coins with scissors. Arrange over the potatoes (opens in a new tab) on a wooden board, drizzle with olive oil (opens in a new tab), dust with paprika (opens in a new tab) and sprinkle with flaky salt.

    • 5 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Galicia, Spain · Well documentedMore food from Spain
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Appetizers & starters · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
smoky, savoury, salty
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Octopus · Potato · Paprika · Bay leaves
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Molluscsfrom octopus

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

342 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 313 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 38%
  • Carbohydrate 26%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy342 kcal109 kcal
Protein32 g10.2 g
Carbohydrate22.3 g7.1 g
Net carbohydrate20 g6.4 g
Sugars0.9 g0.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.4 g0.8 g
Fat13.5 g4.3 g
Saturated fat2 g0.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol96 mg31 mg
Sodium855 mg273 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1143 mg
Calcium
121 mg
Iron
11.7 mg
Magnesium
84 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
109 µg
Vitamin C
30 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
40 µg
Folate (DFE)
47 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: onion.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Freezing and thawing the octopus breaks down its fibres – no need to beat it on rocks.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard — a rolling boil toughens octopus; keep it at a steady simmer.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with crusty bread and a glass of Ribeiro or Albariño.

Food safety

  • Thaw frozen octopus in the fridge, not at room temperature.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Cooked octopus keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Octopus, cleaned, beak and ink sac removed, frozen and fully thawed1200 g
  • Potato, peeled, thickly sliced600 g
Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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