You often see octopus in Northern Spain that is simply boiled for hours in salted water until completely tender. It is then chopped up, and served with a simple drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sweet pimentón.
![](https://chefsclubkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/shutterstock_1157968012.jpg)
Slow-Braised Octopus Skewers with Lemon Aioli and Pimentón
Ingredients
- Zest of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup prepared mayonnaise
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (from a small slice of lemon)
- 24 oz Octopus tentacles (left whole)
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- 24 toothpick skewers (slightly larger than toothpicks)
- 1 Tbsp sweet pimentón (as garnish)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (as garnish)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon zest, prepared mayonnaise, and fresh lemon juice.
- Set aside in a small piping bag for later.
- Braise the octopus tentacles in enough salted water to cover them completely.
- Cook the tentacles until they are completely tender, or about 3.5 hours.
- When the tentacles are cooked, cut them into bite-sized pieces and arrange one or two pieces of cooked octopus on each toothpick skewer.
- Arrange the skewers on a serving platter, and drizzle lightly with a tiny drizzle of olive oil.
- Top each skewer with a small dot of the lemon aioli from earlier, in addition to a tiny sprinkle of sweet pimentón on top.