The Pulpeiro

Anxo Rivera

Anxo grew up in a stone house above the rías of Pontevedra, where his grandmother sold octopus from a steaming copper cauldron at the Sunday feiras. He cooked through twenty winters of Atlantic rain, learning that the sea and the pig feed a family equally, and that a good empanada says more about a place than any tasting menu. He still snips octopus with kitchen scissors the way the old pulpeiras taught him, paprika and oil bleeding into the soft potato beneath.

GalicianAtlantic SpanishRustic Iberian

Voice · warm, rooted, weather-worn, unpretentious, generous

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Anxo's favorites.

27 MIN

Garlic and Paprika Mussels on Crusty Bread

Briny mussels opened in a garlicky white wine broth fragrant with smoked paprika, served atop thick slices of crusty bread to soak up every drop of that good Galician sea.

47 MIN

Pork Belly Empanaditas with White Beans and Smoked Paprika

Small hand-held empanadas filled with slow-braised pork belly, tender white beans, and a smoky paprika finish — the kind of honest Galician food that feeds a house full of people.

20 MIN

Scallop Crudo with Fennel and Mint

Thinly sliced scallops over shaved fennel with a bright lemon-mint oil, finished with coarse salt and white pepper. A dish that lets the sea speak.

75 MIN

Octopus and Potato Skewers with Smoked Paprika Oil

Tender octopus and soft potato chunks threaded onto skewers, briefly charred over high heat and finished with a warm drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil spiked with smoked paprika. Galician soul on a stick.

35 MIN

Smoky Pinto Bean Dip with Garlic and Olive Oil on Toast

A warmly spiced, smoky bean dip made velvety with olive oil and served atop crusty toasted bread. Rooted in Atlantic pantry traditions — humble, generous, and deeply satisfying.

45 MIN

Roasted Butternut Squash Bites with Smoked Paprika and Cured Cheese

Warm roasted squash cubes dusted with smoked paprika and finished with crumbled cured cheese — a simple Galician-style bite that holds its own at any feira table.

47 MIN

Rustic Olive Oil and Honey Almond Cake with Paprika Glaze

A rustic, warmly spiced almond cake enriched with good olive oil and honey, finished with a glossy paprika glaze that nods to the Atlantic coast.

40 MIN

Roasted Cantaloupe with Olive Oil, Honey, and Fennel Seed

Warm cantaloupe wedges roasted until tender and lightly caramelized, drizzled with honey and finished with a pinch of fennel seed and good olive oil.

48 MIN

Galician Buckwheat Porridge with Caramelized Fennel and Honey

A hearty Atlantic breakfast porridge — nutty buckwheat cooked in whole milk with garlic, topped with sweet butter-caramelized fennel and a good drizzle of olive oil. The kind of dish that sets you right for a long morning.

65 MIN

Octopus and Potato Bake with Paprika and Garlic

A rustic Galician-style bake where tender octopus meets golden potatoes, perfumed with garlic and dusted with smoked paprika under a generous drizzle of olive oil.

120 MIN

Octopus and White Bean Bake with Chard and Paprika

A hearty Galician-style bake where tender octopus meets creamy white beans and earthy chard, all united under a drizzle of smoked paprika oil. Rooted, unpretentious, generous.

55 MIN

Clam and Cod Chowder with Potato and Thyme

A warming Atlantic chowder with tender clams and flaked cod over soft potato, finished with butter and fresh thyme.

55 MIN

Pork Belly and Mussel Cataplana with Paprika and Sweet Onion

A hearty Galician-style cataplana where tender pork belly and briny mussels meld together over sweet onions and smoky paprika, finished with a generous drizzle of good olive oil.

40 MIN

Garlic Shrimp with Bell Pepper and Paprika over Rice

A warm, unpretentious Atlantic plate of plump shrimp singed with garlic and sweet bell pepper, dusted with smoky paprika and finished with a squeeze of lemon over soft white rice. Generous, rooted, and full of sea and sun.

55 MIN

Mussels and Potato Stew with Paprika and Chard

A hearty Galician-style stew where tender potatoes and earthy chard swim alongside briny mussels, all bound in a smoky paprika broth enriched with slow-rendered pork belly.

190 MIN

Pork Belly and Chard Roast with Garlic and Paprika

Slow-roasted pork belly with caramelized edges, draped over wilted chard scented with garlic and smoked paprika, finished with a generous pour of good olive oil. A proper Galician Sunday dish, the kind that fills the house with warmth.

60 MIN

Sardine and Potato Gratin with Paprika Breadcrumb Crust

A rustic Atlantic gratin where tender potato slices nestle between soft sardines, blanketed in a gentle milk and butter sauce, finished with a smoky paprikabreadcrumb crust that turns golden under the heat.

50 MIN

Pork Belly and White Bean Skillet with Paprika and Carrot

A hearty Atlantic skillet where pork belly renders into crisp, golden edges while white beans and sweet carrot absorb all that smoky paprika-infused richness. The kind of dish that feeds a family and leaves the pot licked clean.

45 MIN

Cod and White Bean Soup with Spinach and Sweet Onion

A warming Atlantic soup where tender cod flakes meet creamy white beans and wilted spinach, all built on a sweet onion base with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of paprika.

120 MIN

White Beans and Pork Belly Slow-Stewed with Chard

A hearty Galician one-pot where tender white beans and silky pork belly meld together over a long slow simmer, finished with chard wilted in at the end and a generous drizzle of olive oil with smoked paprika on top.

50 MIN

Mussels and Cod Braised with Potato and Onion

A rustic Atlantic braise where plump mussels and tender cod nestle among soft potatoes and sweet onion, all bound by a smoky, olive-oil-rich broth. Simple, generous, and rooted in the tradition of Galicia.

90 MIN

Octopus with Smoked Paprika and Soft Potato

A Galician classic where tender octopus rests on soft boiled potatoes, finished with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of smoked paprika. Simple, honest, and rooted in the tradition of the feira.

50 MIN

Octopus Boiled with Smoked Paprika and Potatoes

A rustic Galician classic where tender octopus is simmered with sweet onion and garlic, then served over soft boiled potatoes, finished with a generous drizzle of good olive oil and a dusting of smoky paprika.

65 MIN

Grilled Octopus with Garlic Parsley Oil

Octopus that has been cooked tender first, then laid over high heat long enough to char at the edges and take on that smoky, slightly caramelized crust that no other method gives you. Garlic and parsley worked into olive oil form a rough, vivid sauce, and lemon goes over everything at the end to wake it all up. The kind of thing that smells like the coast.

115 MIN

Caldo Gallego with Chard and Pork Belly

A pot built for cold weather: white beans and pork belly coaxed together over a low flame, the fat rendering slowly into the broth until it turns rich and opaque. Potato and chard go in toward the end, absorbing the pork's warmth without losing their own character. Garlic threads through it all, quiet and persistent.

135 MIN

Slow Pork Belly with Cabbage and Potato

Pork belly cooked low and slow until the fat layer turns translucent and the meat beneath it gives at a look, surrounded by cabbage that has wilted into the drippings and potato that has soaked up all that smoky, paprika-stained richness. Garlic runs through the whole thing, quiet and foundational. The kind of dish that makes a cold afternoon disappear.

45 MIN

Mussels Steamed in Smoked Paprika Tomato Broth

Sweet yellow onion and garlic go down first, then tomato, then smoked paprika — the broth building color and depth before a single mussel touches the pan. When the shells open, they release their brine straight into the pot, the sea folding into the smoke and the tomato in a way that makes the liquid as good as anything solid in it. Keep bread nearby.

45 MIN

Sausage and White Bean Traybake with Peppers

Everything into one deep tray — white beans, sausage, bell pepper, yellow onion, a heavy dusting of smoked paprika — and into a hot oven to let the sausage fat do the work. The beans at the edges go slightly crisp, the pepper softens and sweetens, and the whole tray comes out smelling of a Spanish kitchen at its most unguarded. Dinner without ceremony.

65 MIN

Roast Pork Loin with Peppers and Potatoes

Bell pepper and potato go into the roasting pan with garlic and olive oil, cut generous and left to caramelize slowly around the pork loin as it rests above them. The drippings collect below, soaking into the potato and turning the pepper edges sweet and slightly charred at the corners. Straightforward, Sunday-kitchen cooking.

25 MIN

Griddled Sardines with Lemon and Parsley

Sardines over a hot griddle, a little olive oil, enough garlic to perfume the air without masking the fish — that is really all there is to it. Lemon goes on while they are still hot so the juice steams slightly on contact, and parsley scattered over the top keeps things alive and green. The sea does the rest of the work.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

octopussmoked-paprikaolive-oilgarlicpotatochardwhite-beanspork-belly

Favorite tools

StockPotDutchOvenWoodenSpoonChefKnife

Reaches for

octopusmusselcodpork-bellywhite-beanschardpotatogarlic

Steers clear of

soy-saucecumincoconut-oilheavy-cream

Flavor Profile

The Loves

smoked paprikasweet onionsea brinegood olive oilslow-cooked pork

The Defaults

paprika and olive oil drizzlea pot of greens with porkoctopus over soft potato

The Avoids

fussy platingover-spicing that hides the fishsweetened savory disheswatery braises