Cooking the octopus has its intricacies because it has to be tender so that it is pleasant to the palate, but not too soft either. Below you will find the tricks to achieve the exact cooking point. Once you have it, you can prepare a delicious octopus salad with garlic shrimp or any of the two proposals that chef José Andrés suggests: a delicious tapa or a juicy empanada with sea flavor (spoiler: we are left with the second one).

As the Asturian chef explained some time ago in his program «Let’s cook with José Andrés» on RTVE, the key to cooking a tender octopus is understanding how its muscles work, much more similar to meat that have their fibers intertwined. «Although, although it is a seafood product, it has a collagen that has nothing to do with all its relatives,» explains the chef.

Octopus empanada

For this reason, unlike other fish that require very little cooking time to prevent overcooking, octopus usually needs a lot more. To do this, what we all know as «scare the octopus» is also applied, which consists of waiting until the water is boiling, putting the octopus in and removing it quickly.

This must be done a total of 3 times and then let it cook quietly until it is tender. To check it, use the Galician grandmothers’ trick by puncturing it with a toothpick. In total, the process will take you 30 to 40 minutes. In addition, chef José Andrés adds a bay leaf to the cooking water to give it more flavor. That said, take note of how to prepare a delicious octopus empanada with homemade dough.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1.2 kg of flour
• 200 ml of water
• 1 cup of oil
• Salt

Preparation method

As you will see, the recipe for homemade empanada dough is very easy and looks phenomenal. To save time, you can also use those that are already packaged, always making sure that they are of good quality.

Here you have the step by step of a delicious homemade empanada to take advantage of that tender octopus or the ingredients that you prefer.

• Prepare a stir-fry of onion, red pepper, garlic and bay leaf, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle sweet paprika and drain the sauce in a colander, reserving the oil. Return it to the casserole and add the tomato.
• Cook the octopus giving it 3 scares. Cook it for 35-40 minutes and cut it into slices.
• For prepare the doughplace the flour in a large bowl, make a hole in the center, pour in the water and 10 tablespoons of the reserved oil. Mix with your hands and add a little salt. Set it aside on the work surface with a damp cloth on top. Divide it in 2.

• Roll out one of the dough portions with a roller on floured work surface until very fine. Turn a baking dish upside down, put the dough on top and cut off the excess; This is what is called the sole of the empanada.
• Prick the base with a fork. Place the sofrito on the base of the empanada, spreading it well. Distribute the octopus pieces all over the empanada. Add a pinch of salt.
• Cover the empanada with the leftover dough and close it on itself on the sides so that it is well sealed. Make some holes in the surface. Put it in in the oven preheated to 190 ºC for about 25 minutes. And enjoy!