Apr 13
Fish, seafood & shellfish | Soups, salads, vegetables & potatoes | Tapas bar | Traditional Spanish Recipes
Octopus over confited Calçot, Potatoes and Romesco sauce
Calçots are these early onions we Catalans cultivate and eat at the beggining of the year. Now, they are not in season anymore, but you can recreate the dish with green onions and they will maybe be as good as calçots ;D. If you are curious about what a Calçotada is, follow this link.
Happy Spring!
Recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings: Half octopus ( you can buy one and let the other half in the freezer for the next time), 2 big potatoes, 16 calçots or green onions, romesco sauce and thick sea salt. Concerning the romesco, if you don't have the ingredients or feel lazy about preparing the sauce, nowadays you can find it canned in specialized shops.
- To soften the octopus meat, there's some tricks... but the ones I follow are: Freeze it first and when defrosted, get a big pot with boiling water - no salt in it - and dive the octopus in, let it boil for 1 minute and take back from the boiling water. Repeat the operation for 5 times and after that let it boil for 25/30 minutes or until it becomes tender. Reserve.
- Peel and cut the potatoes in thick slices and boil in the same water. When tender, reserve.
- Meanwhile, confit the calçots or onions in extra virgin olive oil. The oil shouldn't boil. Keep the calçots in until they become tender (it might take 45 minutes aprox).
- Have the romesco sauce ready and present the dish:
- Spread some romesco sauce on the plate, place the calçot/onion first, add the potatoe and more romesco sauce and place the octopus on top. Sprinkle with thick sea salt.
Comments
Con tu permiso, me quedo con los calçots y la romesco… es que el pulpo no me gusta… ejem.
This makes us all want to live on the Mediterranean Sea Nuria to be close to fresh seafood and warm breezes. Thanks for sharing!!
I love octopus and this is a superb way to enjoy it.
Nuria, you know I love octopus and I just know these morsels are so tender!
What a gorgeous tapa Nuria! The Mediterranean diet is the best for sure…this dish has a nice, summery feeling to it! Gracias amiga!
Wow, Romesco sauce is really new to me. Thanks for the beautiful photos and tips on the Med food :)
Stumbled upon your great blog. Pics look awesome and recipes are diamonds! I’ve already compiled a list of recipes I just have to try. Please keep writing!
nuria…wow. this look beautiful. i wish i could get some calcots here. i’ll just have to wait til one day i come visit you during calcot season!
i don’t know if i’d just want an appetizer version of this dish – i’d need a whole bowl!
amy