Pairings: Douglas Green Cream Sherry No 3
Ingredients
- 1 frozen octopus: frozen octopus is much tenderer than fresh octopus. If you do have a fresh octopus, you’ll need to tenderize it well with a meat mallet before cooking it.
- 6 litres water
- 6 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 500g new potatoes
- 1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Spanish (smoked) paprika
Method
- Heat four litres of water in a large stock pot, and add five tbsp of the salt.
- Heat the remaining two litres of water in a smaller saucepan, and add the potatoes.
- Boil until cooked through but still firm.
- Drain and set aside, covered to remain warm.
- Rinse the octopus well under cold running water.
- Cut out the beak and remove the eyes of the octopus with a sharp knife.
- When the water is at a rolling boil, skewer the octopus securely on a large fork, and plunge it into the boiling water.
- Remove immediately, and once the water is boiling once more, dip it in the water once more.
- Repeat this process a further three or four times, until the tentacles curl. This dipping process helps to tenderize the octopus.
- Immerse the octopus in the water, and boil over medium heat for about two hours, or until it is tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
- Remove from the heat, and allow the octopus to rest in the water for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the water, drain well, and cut into prices: the tentacles into pieces about 1.5cm long, and the body into pieces about 2cm square, using a pair of kitchen scissors.
- Slice the potatoes into 1cm thick pieces, place a piece of octopus not each, and drizzle the whole to with the olive oil and season with the remain gin salt and the Spanish paprika.
- Enjoy with a glass of Douglas Green Cream Sherry No 3
