Lagareiro-style Octopus with punched potatoes recipe

Polvo à lagareiro (Lagareiro-style Octopus), or any recipe “à lagareiro,” means that the dish is served with hot olive oil and garlic, usually accompanied by roasted potatoes with the skin. There is also bacalhau à lagareiro (Lagareiro Cod), from which this recipe originated, squid à lagareiro, shrimp à lagareiro. But octopus and cod are the most famous recipes—and rightly so, especially the lagareiro octopus.

Lagareiro Octopus is traditional, especially in the North, Douro, and Beiras regions. It is even traditional at Christmas in Trás-os-Montes. It’s one of our favorite recipes, and although it’s easy to make, we only cook it on special occasions.

On the other hand, it can be somewhat expensive due to the high prices of octopus and olive oil. However, it is also a hearty meal that pairs well with a nice walk afterward.

Top Tip

The term “lagareiro” refers to someone who works in an olive press, producing olive oil. This term is used in the culinary context due to the generous amount of olive oil used to drizzle over the octopus.

Below, we will explain how to cook it and everything you need to make this traditional Portuguese recipe for Octopus à Lagareiro with punched potatoes.

Demystifying the Octopus as an ingredient

Cooking octopus may seem intimidating, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. The most significant and crucial factor to remember is cooking time, which varies from 40 to 60 minutes. If you use a pressure cooker, you can reduce this time to 30 to 40 minutes.

However, many cooks argue that the octopus should be cooked in a regular pan and should be brought to a light but permanent boil so as not to overcook it and cause it to fall apart. We feel it is more convenient to use the pressure cooker, but keep that in mind if you don’t want to use it.

Another factor to consider is the texture of the octopus. In the past, it was said that it was necessary to beat the octopus to soften it, but if you freeze the octopus before cooking it, this is no longer required. Freezing softens the octopus fibers, making them soft. So, even if you buy a fresh octopus, maybe freeze it first before cooking it.

Ingredients – Lagareiro-style octopus with punched potatoes

Cooking the Octopus

• Two medium octopuses
• One medium onion cut into half-moons
• Two garlic cut in half
• Bay leaves to taste
• Peppercorns

Lagareiro-style Octopus

• One medium onion cut into half-moons
• Two sliced ​​garlic cloves
• 500g new potatoes for roasting with skin
• Coarse salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• paprika to taste (optional, traditional recipes do not have paprika)
• Olive oil 250 ml
• 2 cooked medium octopus
• a bunch of parsley

Necessary Utensils

• Pressure cooker
• Clay baking dish
• Cutting board
• Knives
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Preparação

Servings: 4 people
Preparation time: 60 min (Total time including preparation and cooking)
Difficulty level: Easy

Polvo à Lagareiro – Easy Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Ingredient Preparation:
   • Cut onions and garlic.
2. Cooking the Octopus:
   • Place the octopuses in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Add the half-moon onion, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns.
   • Close the pressure cooker and heat over high heat until it boils, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
   • Prick the octopus with a fork to check for tenderness. Remove it from the pan and let it cool if it is cooked.

3. Preparing the potatoes for roasting:
   • Wash the potatoes well, cutting out any impurities if necessary. Please note that removing the skin is not necessary.
   • Cut the onions into half moons and slice the garlic into thick slices
   • Place the potatoes, onion, and garlic in a clay roasting pan and season with coarse salt.
   • Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 180º until they are soft and easy to stick with a fork.

3. Making Octopus à Lagareiro:
   • Remove the potatoes from the oven. They should be soft. Remove excess salt and give them a small punch with your hand or a wooden spoon.
   • Add the octopus to the roasted potatoes, which should be soft and slightly broken.
   • Drizzle with plenty of olive oil. The potatoes should be half submerged in the oil. If 250 ml is not enough, add more.
   • Let the octopus and potatoes brown in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 180ºC.
   • When the octopus is a little crispy, and the toasted potatoes, take them out of the oven.
   • You can serve it in a clay pan, which looks beautiful and makes better use of the oil. To garnish, add a few sprigs of parsley.

Side dishes and serving

You can serve the lagareiro octopus with sautéed greens or a tossed lettuce and onion salad. It complements the main dish very well. Also, the octopus and oil are delicious with bread or cornbread. You can dip the bread in the hot oil, which is delicious.

In terms of wines, a good white or green wine is a great option.

Other useful tips

• We use new potatoes for this recipe. They are harvested while still young, so they are smaller and have thin, delicate skin. Since we are going to roast them with the skin on and then mash them, this potato is the best option.
• Many recipes also use green or red peppers, which are roasted along with the potatoes. It’s delicious, so you can add them if you like.
• We like to add paprika to the recipe because we enjoy the flavor, but it’s not traditional. You can also add other spices, but remember not to overdo it, as the ingredient that needs to shine is the olive oil.
• If you buy fresh octopus, freeze it. The day you are going to cook it, defrost it beforehand. This will make the octopus soft, and you won’t need to beat it.
• Some people don’t cook the octopus before roasting it, but if you choose to do that, the octopus will have to roast for 1h30 or 2 hours. We never tried it because it takes too long.
• At the end, if you have any olive oil left, you can save the excess, but only use it for fish dishes, as they retain the octopus flavor.

Storage and Reuse

Octopus is an ingredient that shrinks a lot, so even if you think you have a large amount, you will probably have little leftovers. If you happen to have them, it is not recommended to freeze this dish, especially the potatoes. When heated, they become soft and watery and have a grainy texture with ice crystals.

Therefore, if you have leftovers, store them in a container in the refrigerator for a maximum of three to four days.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that octopus tends to reduce in volume after cooking. It is essential to take this into account when preparing the quantity. Therefore, this recipe may not be best suited for large groups. We suggest you make this Octopus Rice instead. It is an excellent option, providing generous and delicious portions.

We hope this recipe inspires you to cook more Portuguese dishes and share this rich Portuguese food culture with your friends and family. Try, adapt, and, above all, enjoy!

Lagareiro-Style Octopus

Jorge Bastos

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine portuguese

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 Pressure cooker
• 1 Clay tray
• 1 cutting board
• 1 Knives
• 1 Wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Ingredients

  

Cooking the Octopus

• 2 medium octopuses
• 1 Onion
• 2 garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 g new potatoes

Lagareiro-style Octopus

• 2 cooked octopus
• 1 Onion cut into half-moons
• 2 Sliced ​​garlic cloves
• 250 ml olive oil
• coarse salt
• black pepper
• parsley

Instructions

 

• Peel onion and garlic and cut into large pieces.
• Add the washed and defrosted octopus to a pressure cooker, as well as the onion and garlic.
• Fill the pressure cooker with water until the octopus is covered
• Cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
• While the octopus is cooking, start roasting the potatoes.
• Wash the potatoes
• Place the potatoes, along with the onion and garlic that were previously cut, with plenty of salt in a clay roasting pan.
• Roast the potatoes in the oven at 180ºC for 30 minutes until they are tender.
• When the octopus is cooked – after 30 to 40 minutes – remove it from the pressure cooker and let it drain and dry a bit.
• Remove the potatoes from the oven, brush off the excess salt, and gently smash them with your hand or a wooden spoon.
• Add the octopus to the smashed potatoes and drizzle with plenty of olive oil. If you 250 ml is not enough, add more
• Let it roast in the oven at 180ºC for 10 to 15 minutes until the octopus and potatoes are slightly crispy.
• Serve the octopus and smashed potatoes on the clay tray and garnish with a few parsley leaves

Keyword Octopus

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