Polvo à Lagareiro
Tender octopus baked or grilled with potatoes, plenty of olive oil, garlic, and paprika. A hearty and elegant starter.
8 ingredients
7 steps
Ingredients
- 11 whole octopus (about 1.5kg), cleaned
- 2800g small new potatoes or baby potatoes
- 3150ml extra virgin olive oil
- 46 cloves garlic, sliced
- 51 tsp smoked paprika
- 6Fresh parsley, chopped
- 7Coarse sea salt to taste
- 81 bay leaf and half an onion (for boiling the octopus)
Instructions
- 1Freeze and thaw the octopus (this tenderises it). Bring a large pot of water to the boil with a bay leaf and half an onion.
- 2Dip the octopus in the boiling water 3 times, curling the tentacles, then submerge completely. Simmer gently for 45–60 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.
- 3Remove octopus and rest. Pre-heat oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
- 4Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain, and crush them lightly.
- 5Arrange the potatoes in a roasting tray. Place the whole octopus on top. Drizzle generously with olive oil, scatter the garlic slices, and season with salt and paprika.
- 6Roast for 20–25 minutes until the octopus is slightly charred and the potatoes are golden.
- 7Drizzle with more fresh olive oil, scatter with parsley, and serve immediately.