Polvo à lagareiro
Roast octopus with garlic oil
Polvo à lagareiro: tender roasted octopus swimming in garlicky olive oil, with punched potatoes
The name honours the lagareiros, the men who worked the olive presses, and the dish is about as generous with olive oil as you'd expect: octopus first simmered until tender, then roasted hot with garlic and oil until the tentacles crisp at the tips. It is a Christmas Eve favourite in many Lisbon homes and a Friday treat in restaurants, always with batatas a murro, small potatoes roasted in their skins then punched open. A common mistake is a rolling boil, which turns octopus tough and peels the skin; keep the water at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: buy frozen octopus, or freeze fresh for a day; freezing breaks the fibres and makes it far more tender.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the octopus
For the potatoes
- 1 ¾ lb small new potatoesunpeeled, scrubbed
- 2 tbsp coarse salt
To roast
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves garlicsliced
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 3 ⅓ lb octopus, 1 onion and 2 bay leaves in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a simmer. Don't add salt.
15 minStep 2: Simmer gently, with just a few bubbles breaking, for 45–60 minutes, until a knife slides into the thickest part of a tentacle like it would into a cooked potato. Leave it in the water off the heat for 15 minutes.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Toss 1 ¾ lb small new potatoes in 2 tbsp coarse salt on a tray, so they are crusted with it, and roast for 35–40 minutes until tender inside and wrinkled outside.
40 minStep 4: Take the potatoes out and punch each one lightly with your fist (or press with the bottom of a glass) so it splits open.
Step 5: Drain the octopus, cut it into tentacles and pieces of body, and lay it in a roasting dish with the potatoes around it.
Step 6: Warm ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil and 8 cloves garlic in a small pan until the garlic sizzles and turns pale gold, about 3 minutes. Pour it over the octopus and potatoes.
3 minStep 7: Roast for 10–15 minutes until the octopus is sizzling and the thin ends of the tentacles are crisp and browned.
15 minStep 8: Scatter with 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve in the dish, with bread for the oil if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does polvo à lagareiro take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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