Pulpo a la galega with romesco sauce

Polbo á feira, in Galician, or pulpo a la gallega, in Spanish (Galician octopus), is a traditional dish of Spanish cuisine, originally from Galicia. In particular, the provinces of Ourense and Lugo are famous for the cuisine of this dish.

Galicia is a true paradise for seafood lovers. The uniqueness of its waters and the multiplicity of marine ecosystems along its 400 kilometers of coastline, make Galician seafood, in addition to having an unparalleled volume of catches and variety, are considered the best in the world, as noted by internationally renowned chefs such as Ferrán Adriá. Oysters, barnacles, crabs, spider crabs, cockles, scallops… there are many delicacies that can be found there. But if there is one that has become an emblem in Galicia, it is undoubtedly the pulpo (octopus).

The dish is prepared by first boiling the octopus inside a copper cauldron and then cutting the tentacles which are sprinkled with coarse salt and sweet and spicy paprika and seasoned with olive oil. Before boiling the octopus, it is customary to immerse it three times in boiling water in order to curl the tips of the tentacles

The dish is traditionally served on wooden plates along with bread and boiled potatoes. It is also accompanied with red wine, because it is traditional that you don't drink water when eating octopus.

To prepare this dish you can follow our recipe of octopus salad (without olives): the difference is only in the spices: for Galician octopus is used, in addition to garlic and parsley, also a teaspoon of smoked paprika and and a teaspoon of sweet paprika.

Romesco sauce

Romesco is a hazelnut and red pepper based sauce originally from Tarragona, Catalonia. The fishermen of the area use this sauce to eat with fish.

What do you need

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp chipotle pepper (or less if you don't want it spicy)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

¼ red onion

30 gr toasted hazelnut or toasted peeled almonds

salt and pepper

a few fresh coriander leaves

How to proceed

Turn on the oven at 200 °

Wash the peppers and prick them with the tines of a fork to release the steam during cooking, arrange them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and cook for about 35 minutes, or until the skin is almost scorched, turning them halfway through cooking.

Transfer them to a paper bag for food (such as that of bakers) and let them cool completely, then remove the skin.

Put the roasted peppers in a mixer together with all the other ingredients of the romesco sauce and blend until you get a homogeneous mixture.