1 small octopus (about
900gm)
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
2 medium waxy potatoes,
such as kipfler, scrubbed
Extra-virgin olive oil,
for frying
2 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
GARLIC OIL
2 garlic cloves
30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
AÏOLI
3 large egg yolksOctopus with potatoes and pimentón
SERVES 4
“When I’d visit my aunt Ana in Galicia she would take me to street markets where old ladies
boiled octopus in pots so big they were practically cauldrons,” says Mattos. “The women would
pull out the octopus – perfectly cooked, still with a bite to it – and serve it sliced, with boiled
potatoes, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of pimentón and sea salt. Build flavour
by brushing the boiled octopus with garlic and fish sauce and then searing it to create a crust.
There’s also a good amount of aïoli, which makes it particularly indulgent.”
180 ml (¾ cup) extra-virgin
olive oil
60 ml (¼ cup) grapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves mashed to
a paste with a little salt1 For garlic oil, mash garlic and
a pinch of sea salt flakes with a
mortar and pestle until garlic is
thin wisps, then stir in oil.
2 For aïoli, whisk egg yolks
with ⅛ tsp sea salt flakes in
a bowl until smooth. Combine
oils in a measuring cup and,
while whisking yolks, graduallyadd ½ cup of oils, incorporating
between additions. If mixture
becomes paste-like, add iced
water a teaspoon at a time,
whisking continuously to prevent
aïoli from breaking, but be
conservative – it shouldn’t be
thin. After adding ½ cup, pour
remaining oil in a thin stream,
whisking, ensuring it is well
incorporated.Aïoli should be
thick andsmooth. If it’s too thick
for your liking, add a little
grapeseed oil to achieve your
desired consistency. Whisk in
garlic and season with salt to
taste. Store aïolicovered and
refrigerated for up to 4 days.3 Bring a large saucepan of
water to the boil. Add octopus
and bay leaves, reduce heat
slightly and boil gently for
20 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, put potatoes
in a medium saucepan, cover
generously with water and
add salt until it’s salty like the
sea. Bring to the boil, reduce
heat slightly and boil gently
until the potatoes are cooked
through, but give the slightest
bit of resistance when pierced
with a skewer (20 minutes;
you don’t want them mashed-
potato soft). Drain and transfer
to a bowl. Cool briefly, then
break into irregular 2.5cm
chunks and lightly crush
with a fork.
5 Transfer octopus to a
cutting board, cut off a
tentacle and taste; it should
be toothsome, but not chewy.
If it’s not ready, cook for up to
10 minutes longer. Drain and
cut off 6 or so tentacles; save
the rest for tomorrow’s dinner.
Pat dry with paper towels.
6 Heat a large frying pan
over medium heat, then
coat it with a bit of olive oil.
Add tentacles, brush with
a little garlic oil, and cook
for 10 minutes, flipping and
brushing with garlic oil every
2 minutes. After the first
5 minutes, deglaze pan with
1 tsp fish sauce and continue
cooking, flipping and glazing
with garlic oil, until the skin
crisps up, darkens and chars
in places. Add remaining fish
sauce in the last minute of
cooking. Cut tentaclesinto
2.5cm pieces. Discard (or
snack on) the crisp ends.
7 Mix ⅓ cup aïoli into potato
to make a potato salad. Put
a 15cm ring mould in the
centre of a plate and arrange
half the potatoes in the mould.
Distribute and press potatoes
down, creating space at the
top of the mould. Lay half the
octopus on top. Repeat
layering on a second plate
with remaining potato and
octopus. Dust each plate with
¼ tsp sweet paprika using
a fine-mesh strainer for an
even coating, and serve.➤