Name: Polvo a Lagareiro
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 1.5 kg octopus, cleaned; 800 g small waxy potatoes; 150 ml extra virgin olive oil; 8 garlic cloves, sliced; 2 bay leaves; 2 tsp coarse sea salt; 3 tbsp chopped parsley; 1 lemon, in wedges

Polvo a Lagareiro

Octopus simmered then roasted in olive oil with garlic and potatoes that are punched flat, a Portuguese oven classic.

1 hr 35 min total Serves 4 servings Medium

Why This Is Worth Making

Short and sharp: boil it, then roast it in oil. That is all there is to polvo à lagareiro, the octopus of the olive press workers. The old lagareiros were paid in oil, and so the dish is soaked in it, and the potatoes are punched, or murro, before roasting so that they drink up the garlic and the fat.

Boil the octopus in unsalted water for about 1 hour until a skewer slides in easily. Cool it in the water, then cut the tentacles apart. Boil small potatoes in their skins until just tender, 20 minutes, and press each one flat with your fist so the skin cracks and the flesh opens. Be generous with the oil, a good 150 ml, since the whole dish depends on it.

Put the octopus and potatoes in a roasting dish, scatter with sliced garlic, bay and coarse salt, and pour over the oil. Roast at 220°C / 430°F for 20 minutes, until the octopus is blistered and the potatoes are golden. Serve in the dish with a green salad, a lemon wedge and plenty of bread.

Build the Meal Around Polvo a Lagareiro

Green salad
Crusty bread
Vinho verde

How to Cook Polvo a Lagareiro

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

Simmer the octopus in unsalted water for 1 hour until a skewer slides in easily. Cool in the water and cut into pieces.
While the octopus simmers, boil the potatoes in their skins for 20 minutes. Drain and press each flat with your fist.
Heat the oven to 220°C / 430°F. Put the octopus and potatoes in a roasting dish with the garlic, bay and salt and pour over the oil.
Roast for 20 minutes until blistered and golden. Scatter with the parsley and serve with the lemon.

Notes From the Method

Cool the octopus in its cooking water.

Press the potatoes flat so they absorb the oil.

Do not skimp on the olive oil.

Swaps and Variations

An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Keeping What's Left

Best fresh. Keeps for 1 day in the fridge.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

783Calories

61gProtein

47gCarbs

39gFat

5gFibre

2gSugar

2040mgSodium

Dairy-Free Gluten-Free High-Protein No Added Sugar

Polvo a Lagareiro

Build the Meal Around Polvo a Lagareiro

How to Cook Polvo a Lagareiro

Notes From the Method

Swaps and Variations

Keeping What's Left

What's in a Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Build the Meal Around Polvo a Lagareiro

How to Cook Polvo a Lagareiro

Notes From the Method

Swaps and Variations

Keeping What's Left

What's in a Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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