Polvo à lagareiro: octopus in olive oil

Portugal (coastal)

The Portuguese counterpart to bacalhau à lagareiro — whole tentacles of Atlantic octopus (polvo), first tenderised by boiling, then roasted in a generous bath of olive oil, garlic, and bay leaf in a cast iron or earthenware vessel at high heat until the skin blisters and the tips of the tentacles begin to caramelise. The lagareiro technique — drowning the ingredient in olive oil during roasting — transforms the boiled octopus into something simultaneously crisp at the extremities and silky at the thicker sections. Portugal is Europe's largest consumer of octopus per capita, and the tentacles cooked in olive oil with roasted potatoes is one of the most photographed Portuguese restaurant dishes.

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