Polvo à Lagareiro is one of the most popular recipes with octopus in Portugal. This dish can be found in almost every restaurant, from the more casual snack bars and petisqueiras, to the high-end restaurants. It’s also a hit at Portuguese tables in the home, such as its precursor, the Bacalhau à Lagareiro.
You might be wondering what lagareiro means, it refers to a particular way of preparing the dish, baking it with plenty of olive oil. Hence the name lagareiro, which means (olive oil) mill worker. The classic way is to serve it with punched potatoes that are topped with a garlic infused olive oil.
Roasted Octopus in Portugal
There are many different ways of preparing Polvo à Lagareiro: boiling it before finishing in the oven, in the pressure cook. We prefer baking it with tomatoes, onions, garlic and plenty of herbs, covered with foil. The vegetables and the octopus will release plenty of liquid, and the octopus will cook in its steam. In the end you will have a delicious broth that can be used in other recipes, such as Octopus Rice – arroz de polvo, and unbelievably tender octopus.
What kind of Octopus should you use?
For this recipe we used frozen octopus, as controversial as it may sounds, the meat of an octopus that’s been frozen is softer than that of fresh octopus. That’s because in the freezing process as the moisture expands, the muscle fibres break down. Another benefit of frozen octopus is that it’s usually already clean and ready to be cooked. In Portugal you will find it in almost every supermarket, it usually comes in three sizes, small, medium and large depending on its weight. Do keep in mind that octopus shrinks by around 40% during cooking, so you need to account for that when choosing the size.
Cooking Baked Octopus for the First Time
We know that cooking an entire octopus might sound intimidating, especially for those cooking it for the first time. There’s always a degree of fear it will turn out chewy instead of tender. But trust us it’s simpler than it looks, and really rewarding. With this fool-proof recipe, you will always have incredibly soft octopus that’s perfect for those moments where you want to prepare something a little more special!
How to Make Polvo à Lagareiro – Portuguese Roasted Octopus
Portuguese Roasted Octopus – Polvo à Lagareiro
8
servings10
minutes1
hour40
minutes472
kcalPolvo à Lagareiro is one of the best recipes roasted octopus recipes in Portugal, using lots of oil and roasting it whole in the oven!
Ingredients
1 Medium Frozen Octopus 2.5kg (thawed)
7 Garlic Cloves
2 Small Onions (200g)
1 Leak Stem (150g)
1/2 cup Olive Oil (120ml)
3 Plum Tomatoes
900 g Skin on Baby Potatoes
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Rosemary
2 Bay Leaves
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Coriander
Salt
Directions
- Set the thawed octopus at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 190°C, slice your onions, tomatoes, and leek. With the back of a knife, crush 3 garlic cloves.
- Spread half of the vegetables on a deep baking tray, carefully place the octopus on top. Cover it with the remaining vegetables. Add the bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of thyme, sprigs rosemary, coriander, and parsley to taste. Season with black pepper. Seal your tray with foil and pop it in the oven for 1h30m. The time may vary depending on the size of the octopus.
- In the meantime, place the potatoes on separate baking tray, season with black pepper and plenty of salt. Run a sprig of rosemary under water, place it on top of the potatoes while still wet (this prevents it from burning in the oven).
- 30 minutes before the octopus finishes cooking, pop the potato tray in the oven.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a saucepan, add in the remaining whole garlic cloves, and a couple of sprigs of thyme. Place over low heat to infuse the olive oil, once the garlic starts to gain colour, turn it off and set aside.
- After the total cooking time, remove the octopus and the potatoes from the oven. Turn on the grilling function.
- Transfer the potatoes to a bigger tray, one that will accommodate the octopus too, gently press them with a fork until they burst and flatten a little.
- Carefully remove the foil from the octopus tray, drain and strain the broth. The broth won’t be used in this recipe, but you can use it in other recipes such as our Arroz de Polvo. Separate the tentacles from the head, carefully transfer them to the new tray with the punched potatoes.
Drizzle it with the infused olive oil. Season with more black pepper. Grill it in the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve it with the potatoes, a drizzle of the olive oil from the tray, and freshly chopped coriander.
Notes
- Do keep in mind that octopus shrinks by around 40% during cooking, so you need to account for that when choosing the size.
- You can thaw your octopus overnight in the fridge.
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoyed this recipe, you will love Bacalhau à Lagareiro, a similar method of cooking the emblematic Portuguese bacalhau in olive oil.
