Calamares a la Gallega: Squid in Paprika Tomato Sauce with Cachelos

Last year I was travelling in the van through Asturias, stopped at a bar for a soft drink, and the man behind the counter asked if I wanted a tapa. I said yes. That plate of squid in tomato sauce, spooned over a couple of small boiled potatoes, is the reason for this post. It turned out to be calamares a la gallega, and this is my attempt to recreate it at home, for one.

A Tapa in Asturias

The offer was unusual in two ways. I was drinking a soft drink, and a tapa normally only comes with an alcoholic one. And tapas are not the norm in northern Spain at all. They are much more an Andalucían habit than a Spanish one, and I live in Andalucía, so I know. I didn't decline.

What arrived was squares of squid in a light tomato sauce, over a couple of small boiled potatoes. It was delicious. The man told me that calamares a la gallega had been on the menu the night before, and that I was eating the leftovers.

Some months later there was fresh squid in Marta's shop in the village. I bought two small ones and set about copying it. I'm not claiming this is the definitive Galician recipe. It's my version of what I ate in that bar, built on a shallot, garlic, two kinds of paprika and a little white wine.

How to Cook Squid So It's Tender

Squid follows a pattern that catches out a lot of cooks:

• 0 to 3 minutes: tender.
• 3 to 20 minutes: tough and rubbery.
• 25 to 60 minutes: gradually tender again as the connective tissue breaks down.

So you either cook squid in a flash or you commit to a long, gentle simmer. If you're wondering how to cook squid in a sauce, this is the long route: 35 minutes on the lowest heat with a tight lid, until it's completely tender.

Calamares a la Gallega Recipe

This calamares a la gallega recipe is squid in tomato sauce for one, with a little smoked paprika and a pinch of hot paprika. Start the potatoes below while the squid simmers and the two will finish together.

Serves: 1 | Time: about 1 hour

Ingredients for the squid

• 250g cleaned squid (two small ones), cut into 2cm squares
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• ⅓ tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón)
• A tiny pinch of hot paprika (picante)
• 50g passata
• 35ml dry white wine
• 1 small bay leaf
• A pinch of sea salt
• A few leaves of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method for the squid

1. Dry the squid. Pat the squid squares completely dry with kitchen paper.
2. Soften the shallot. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or small frying pan over a medium-low heat. Cook the shallot with a tiny pinch of salt for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Bloom the paprika. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sweet and hot paprika for 10 seconds. Straight away, stir in the passata and the bay leaf so the spice doesn't burn.
4. Reduce the wine. Return to a medium heat, add the white wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes until the sharp smell of alcohol has gone.
5. Simmer the squid. Stir in the squid. Use the lowest possible heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid so the moisture stays in. Simmer gently for 35 minutes until the squid is completely tender. If the liquid drops too low, stir in a small splash of water.
6. Finish. Stir in the parsley, turn off the heat and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Cachelos: Galician Boiled Potatoes

In Galicia, cachelos are not just boiled potatoes. They're broken into chunks rather than sliced, and boiled with a bay leaf. The technique is called chascar: you push the knife halfway into the potato and twist your wrist to snap off a piece. The rough, jagged edges release starch that thickens the cooking water, and they help the sauce cling to the potato later. Cut each chunk to roughly the size of a golf ball.

Ingredients for the cachelos

• 1 large or 2 medium waxy potatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• A pinch of sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)

Method for the cachelos

1. Peel and crack. Peel the potatoes and break them into golf-ball-sized chunks with the knife-twist method above.
2. Boil with the bay leaf. Put the chunks in a small saucepan and cover with cold water, about 2cm above the potatoes. Add the bay leaf and the sea salt.
3. Simmer until tender. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides into the centre of the biggest piece without any resistance.
4. Drain and steam-dry. Drain well, return the potatoes to the warm pan off the heat, cover and leave for 2 minutes. This steams off the excess moisture and leaves them fluffy on the outside.

Putting the Plate Together

Put the hot cachelos on a plate and crush them lightly with a fork to open them up. Drizzle with a little olive oil and dust with smoked paprika. Spoon the calamares a la gallega and all of its sauce over or beside the potatoes. The bar served it over the top, and I put mine beside them so you can see both.

How Close Did I Get?

My calamares a la gallega was cleaner and fresher than the one I ate in Asturias. That may be because mine wasn't leftovers, or perhaps because the bar used a tin. I'll be trying it with a tin from Marta's shop, and that version will follow.

Cook's Notes

On the lid: With so little sauce, a tight lid is what keeps the squid from drying out during the long simmer.

On the paprika: Take the pan off the heat before the paprika goes in. It burns in seconds and turns bitter.

On the squid: Dry it properly before it goes in, and don't be tempted to lift the lid and turn the heat up. If it seems tough at 15 minutes, it's the middle of the pattern above. Keep going.

If this took you to an Asturian bar for a few minutes, you can buy me a coffee ☕ on Ko-fi.

Footnote

This post sits in my Spanish Recipes and Fish & Seafood collections.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef