Octopus Paella with Crispy Socarrat
This Octopus Paella pairs tender, seared tentacles with a deeply flavored seafood stock and a prized crispy socarrat crust. It sits well alongside our other seafood recipes like Fisherman’s Paella, which uses a similarly rich, reduced seafood stock as its base, and our Paella for Beginners guide, which explains the sofrito and socarrat techniques in more depth.
Octopus is prized in Spanish coastal cooking for how well it holds up to high heat once pre-cooked, since a quick sear builds flavor without turning the flesh rubbery. Searing it separately and returning it to the pan only in the final minutes, the same approach used with shrimp in dishes like our 3 and a Half Shrimp Paella, is what keeps the texture tender through the whole cooking process.
Yield: 3-4 servings | Pan Size: 13-15 inches (34-38 cm) | Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients
- Octopus: 1 lb (450g) pre-cooked octopus tentacles, sliced into bite-sized rounds (keep a few tips whole for presentation)
- Rice: 300g round paella rice (preferably Bomba or Senia)
- Seafood Stock: 900ml high-quality, rich seafood stock (kept hot)
- The Sofrito Base:
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely minced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoes, grated (discard the skin)
- Spices & Fat:
- 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika (Pimentón dulce)
- A generous pinch of high-quality saffron threads
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
The Cooking Sequence
1.Sear the Octopus:High Heat | 3-4 min.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in your paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the octopus pieces and sear them until they get a bit of color and crisp edges. Remove the octopus from the pan and set it aside—this leaves a deeply flavored oil behind.
2.Build the Sofrito Base:Medium-Low Heat | 8-10 min.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the minced onion and cook until translucent. Toss in the chopped garlic, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Once fragrant (about 1 minute), pour in the grated tomatoes. Cook this mixture down until the water evaporates and it turns a dark, jammy red color.
3.Infuse the Aromatics:Low Heat | 1 min.
Stir in the sweet paprika and saffron threads directly into the jammy tomato mixture. Stir rapidly for about 30 seconds to toast them lightly in the fat without letting the paprika turn bitter.
4.Add the Stock & Simmer:High Heat | 5 min.
Immediately pour in the hot seafood stock to stop the paprika from burning. Bring everything to a rolling boil. Taste the liquid—it should taste slightly oversalted, like seawater, as the rice will absorb a massive amount of flavor.
5.Add the Rice & Octopus:Medium Heat | 15-18 min.
Sprinkle the rice evenly across the pan, ensuring all grains are submerged. Give it one final stir to distribute the rice, then do not stir it again. Return the seared octopus pieces to the pan, arranging them beautifully on top. Cook on medium-high for 8 minutes, then reduce to low for another 8-10 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed.
6.Catch the Socarrat:High Heat | 2 min.
Once the liquid is gone, turn the heat up to high for 1 to 2 minutes. Listen closely: the bubbling sound will change to a sharp crackle, and you’ll smell a deep, toasted aroma (not a bitter, burnt one). Use a spoon to gently check the edge—you should feel a thin, crispy crust forming on the bottom. Turn off the heat and let the pan rest, covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 5 minutes before serving.
