Octopus in Spain

I am always up for a new food challenge but even I began to think I may have stretched myself too far tackling a large Octopus (or Pulpo in Spanish) but in the end it turned out fine.

Holidays are always a chance to try new things. I would like to tell you that I purchased my octopus from a fisherman on this sunny quay. The truth however is Carrfour fish counter near San Agustin Gran Canaria.

Puerto Mogan Gran Canaria

Picture from Rick Steins Spanish Book

Anyway it looked fresh and fitted the bill for a healthy authentic Spanish supper. 

Of course when I opened the bag there were a number of challenges. The octopus (larger cousin of the squid) was huge and very slippery, the bowls and saucepans in our holiday apartment were small. Luckily the washing up bowl came to the rescue and the pan was just about big enough (if watched carefully!) 

Raw, washed and ready for tenderising

The trick with octopus is to either cook is fast and hot or stew it slowly. Given the size of this one I was concerned that it could be tough. Apparently the traditional tenderising method is to hurl it against rocks, not really practical without attracting a crowd

YouTube to the rescue and a handy step by step guide. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil add half a lemon then holding the octopus by the head plunge the legs into to water for 1 minute, lift out for 1 minute and repeat twice more. Then immerse the whole thing into the pot simmer for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and leave for a further 20 minutes.

Cooked, resting in handy bowl

I have no idea how this worked but at the end I simply cut off its head (sorry for the squeamish out there) there were 8 tender juicy legs. These were dried briefly (on the balcony) then fried rapidly in hot olive oil and butter.

Fried fast in oil and butter

Fresh bread, salad and Canarian sauces were all that we needed to complete the meal. These red and green mojo sauces are delicious and served with fish and potatoes in pretty much every restaurant, read about them here http://happyhealthymotivated.com/red-and-green-canarian-mojo-sauces/  and here

I am certainly going to try these sauces at home soon. 

We even had a little octopus left over for next day tapas.