Polvo à Lagareiro
If you've got octopus, baby potatoes and fresh parsley, you're most of the way to this Portuguese vegan: about 60 minutes of cooking across 6 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and large pot. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Rinse the octopus well, then add it to a large pot with the halved onion and bay leaves, cover with water, and simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a tentacle.
- Lift the octopus out, let it cool slightly, and cut into large serving pieces while you preheat the oven to 200C (400F).
- Boil the unpeeled baby potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes until just tender, drain, then lightly smash each one with the heel of your hand so they crack but stay whole.
- Arrange the potatoes and octopus in a roasting tin, scatter over the sliced garlic, season with coarse salt and pepper, and pour over most of the olive oil so everything glistens.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the potato edges are golden and crisp and the octopus skin takes on colour, turning once halfway through.
- Finish with the remaining olive oil, a splash of vinegar, and a generous shower of chopped parsley, then serve hot straight from the tin.
You'll use: Oven · Large pot · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- White Wine
- chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar
What to serve with Polvo à Lagareiro
Tips & common questions
How long does Polvo à Lagareiro take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of white wine?
Try chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Polvo à Lagareiro vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Polvo à Lagareiro is an original Portuguese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Polvo à Lagareiro u Portu.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.