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1
Simmer the Octopus Until Tender
45 Mins • Cooking
Gentle simmer, about 90°C (194°F)
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a gentle simmer — never a rolling boil, which toughens octopus. Add the halved onion and the bay leaves, lower the octopus in tentacles first, and simmer very gently for 40–45 minutes. The octopus is ready when a skewer slides into the thickest part of a tentacle with only a little resistance. Lift it out, let it cool for 10 minutes, and cut the tentacles apart at the joints.
Do not salt the simmering water — salt in the water firms the flesh. Salt goes on the potatoes and at the table instead.
Done when: A skewer slides in easily; the tentacles curl and the skin turns deep purple-red.
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2
Roast and Punch the Potatoes
40 Mins • Cooking
Oven 200°C (400°F)
While the octopus simmers, put the scrubbed potatoes in a pot of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes until completely tender. Drain, then roast them in their skins with a drizzle of the olive oil and coarse salt at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes. Take them out and punch each one once with the flat of your hand through a folded tea towel — this is the batatas a murro, the punched potatoes, and the cracks are what catch the oil.
Punch the potatoes while they are hot — cold potatoes crack instead of flattening, and the towel stops them from scalding your hand.
Done when: Potatoes fork-tender inside, skins wrinkled and crisped, each one cracked open.
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3
Make the Hot Garlic Oil
3 Mins • Cooking
Low heat, about 120°C (250°F)
Warm half the remaining olive oil in a small pan over low heat with the sliced garlic for 2–3 minutes, just until the garlic turns pale gold and smells sweet. Take it off the heat at once and stir in the lemon juice and black pepper — the oil should be hot, not smoking.
Garlic goes from golden to bitter in under a minute, so stand over the pan and pull it off the heat the moment it colours.
Done when: Garlic pale gold and fragrant; the oil shimmers and smells sweet.
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4
Roast the Octopus Until the Edges Crisp
12 Mins • Cooking
Oven 220°C (425°F)
Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Put the cut tentacles and the punched potatoes in a roasting dish, brush with a little olive oil, and roast for 10–12 minutes until the edges of the tentacles are crisp and browned in places. The octopus is already cooked through from the simmer — this step is only for the crisp outside, so do not leave it in longer.
A hot oven and a short roast is the whole trick — a cool oven or a long roast dries the octopus out instead of crisping it.
Done when: Tentacle edges crisp and browned, suckers curled, flesh hot through — octopus is safe at 63°C (145°F) inside.
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5
Plate, Pour the Garlic Oil and Serve
2 Mins • Hands-On
No heat
Arrange the punched potatoes on a warm platter, lay the roasted tentacles over them, and pour the hot garlic oil over everything. Scatter the chopped parsley, add lemon wedges, and serve immediately.
Serve on a warm platter — the thin tentacles lose their heat in under a minute on a cold plate.
Done when: Hot, crisp-edged tentacles glistening with garlic oil over cracked golden potatoes.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the hot garlic oil over the octopus and potatoes so it pools on the plate, scatter the parsley, and serve at once with lemon wedges. The oil on the plate is part of the dish — put bread on the table for it.
Portugal
50m
