Arroz de Polvo or Octopus Rice is a traditional Portuguese rice dish. It comprises Carolino rice, tender octopus meat, onions, garlic, white wine, and a mix of fresh herbs and spices. These classic Portuguese ingredients are all cooked in a rich octopus broth resulting in a rice that’s super creamy and packed with sea flavours!
Local Seafood Dishes in Portugal
One thing you shouldn’t skip when visiting the Portuguese coast, apart from its breathtaking beaches, is trying the local seafood cuisine. You will have plenty of restaurant options to choose from catering to all budgets, and even places specialized in seafood called marisqueiras. While there are lots of dishes we would recommend, such as Seafood Rice and the classic Fish Stew. If you are looking for something really different, and equally delicious, Octopus Rice has got you covered!
It’s s surprisingly rich seafood dish that’s full of flavours, that really captures the essence of coastal food in Portugal. It also happens to be quite simple to prepare and will make you feel like a professional chef!
About our Octopus Rice Recipe
The first part of the recipe consists of preparing the whole octopus. We know that it sounds a little overwhelming, but we guarantee is simpler than it sounds. You will need a medium size whole frozen octopus, in Portugal it’s available in almost every supermarket. Frozen octopus is usually pre cleaned and ready to be cooked, and also has better texture, since freezing it helps to tenderise the meat.
As always there are plenty of different ways to prepare the octopus before combining it with rice, our favourite way is to bake it with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs. You bake it covered with foil, so it creates steam and releases plenty of liquid creating the perfect stock for the rice to be cooked in. This is a similar method we use to prepare Polvo à Lagareiro.
What Type of Rice to Use in Octopus Rice?
As always, we will be using the Portuguese Carolino rice that’s creamy and great at absorbing flavour. However, if you don’t have access to this Portuguese rice, then you can substitute it for any type of risotto rice.
How to Make Portuguese Octopus Rice
The cooking method is similar to the one used for a risotto, where you add the stock little by little, and stir it continuously. These types of rice take a little time to cook, so for around 30 minutes you have one job, to ladle broth, stir rice, and add more broth once the first ladle has been absorbed. Cooking in this slightly intensive and time-consuming way cooks the rice slowly, releasing its starch. The result is a delicious rice that’s creamy, velvety, and warming, making it a perfect choice for dinners with family and friends.
Portuguese Octopus Rice – How to Make Arroz de Polvo
8
servings1
hour40
minutes45
minutes532
kcalOctopus Rice is a classic dish made with tender octopus meat and short grain rice.
Ingredients
1 1 medium frozen octopus – thawed in the fridge overnight
4 4 medium onions
6 6 plum tomatoes
6 6 garlic cloves
400 g 400 short grain rice
80 ml 80 white wine
1 tbsp 1 butter
2 tbsp 2 extra virgin olive oil
2 2 bay leaves
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
fresh coriander
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
Directions
- Take the thawed octopus out of the fridge. Meanwhile pre heat the oven to 190°C, and slice 2 onions and 3 tomatoes. With the back of a knife, crush 3 garlic cloves.
- Spread half of the onions and tomatoes on a deep baking tray, and carefully place the octopus on top. Cover it with the remaining sliced onions and tomatoes. Add the bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of thyme and rosemary, coriander and parsley to taste. Season with black pepper. Seal your tray with foil. Pop it in the oven for 1h30m. The time may vary depending on the size of the octopus.
- Meanwhile, dice the remaining tomatoes and onions, and mince the remaining garlic too.
- Once the octopus has finished cooking, drain the broth over a strainer into a saucepan, and set aside. Cut off the tentacles where they converge on the body, and discard the beak and eyes. Slice the tentacles and set them aside. You can also use the remaining parts of the head.
- Place a large pan over low to medium heat, once it heats up add the butter and olive oil, once the butter melts toss in the diced onions. Allow them to cook for about 8 minutes or until they become translucent.
- Add in the garlic, cook it for about 2 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes. Cook the mixture for another 5 minutes or until the tomato becomes softer.
- Meanwhile, bring the octopus broth to a gentle simmer. You might need to add a cup or two of water depending on how much broth you have.
- Add your Carolino rice to the tomato and onion mixture, stir to combine, allow it to fry for about 3 minutes before deglazing it with the white wine. Once the alcohol evaporates, add 1 ladle of the broth, stir well until fully absorbed, repeat the process until the broth runs out. Ideally you’ll have around 3 parts stock, to 1 part of rice, so we’re aiming for around 1.2l of stock. If the baked octopus didn’t make this much you can substitute the stock with additional water.
- At this point the rice will be almost ready, so it’s time to add in the sliced octopus, incorporating it gently. Season it with more black pepper, then top it with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know in the comments! If you liked this recipe, we think you will also like this Monkfish Rice and this Razor clam Rice, both classic Portuguese rice dishes using local ingredients!
More Portuguese Rice Dishes You Will Love!
- Bean Rice – Arroz de Feijão
- Tomato Rice – Arroz de Tomate
- Bacalhau Rice – Arroz de Bacalhau
- Monkfish Rice – Arroz de Tamboril
- Razor Clam Rice – Arroz de Lingueirão
- Seafood Rice – Arroz de Marisco
- Duck Rice – Arroz de Pato
- Rice Pudding – Arroz Doce
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