This Azorean Roasted Octopus recipe comes from my cousin, and it is truly one of my all-time favorites. Growing up, octopus was never something exotic to us — it was just part of how we ate, part of being Azorean. My cousin has been making this for years, and the first time I watched her prepare it I knew I had to share it with all of you. If you have never cooked octopus at home before, do not let it intimidate you. This recipe walks you through every step, and the result is absolutely worth it. This recipe is featured in Maria’s Portuguese Table, S1E4
What is Azorean Roasted Octopus?
Azorean Roasted Octopus is a traditional dish from the Azores islands of Portugal, where fresh octopus has been a staple of the local diet for centuries. Unlike grilled or boiled preparations, this version is first cooked on the stovetop to tenderize the meat, then finished in a hot oven to roast the tentacles until they are slightly caramelized and deeply flavorful. The dish is built on a base of onions, garlic, sweet red pepper paste, tomato paste, white wine, and olive oil — classic Azorean pantry ingredients that come together into something truly special. Potatoes are cooked in the same liquid, soaking up every bit of flavor before being arranged around the octopus in the roasting pan. It is the kind of dish that makes people ask for seconds before they have finished their first plate.
How to Make This Recipe
The most important thing to know about making Azorean Roasted Octopus is how to handle the octopus before cooking. If you are using freshly caught octopus, it needs to be tenderized — either by freezing it for at least three days, or by beating it with a food mallet before cooking. If you are buying it at the market, it is almost certainly already frozen, which means it is already tenderized. Just defrost it and you are ready to go. From there, you clean the octopus thoroughly, cut the tentacles, and simmer everything in the stovetop with your onions, garlic, pepper paste, tomato paste, wine, and olive oil for 30 minutes. The tentacles then move to the roasting pan, the potatoes finish cooking in the remaining liquid, and everything goes into a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to roast. Simple, but spectacular.
Tips for the Best Azorean Roasted Octopus
- Clean the octopus thoroughly — twice if needed. If it still feels slimy after rinsing with water, use a splash of white vinegar to help remove the slime before cutting.
- Do not skip the tenderizing step. Octopus that has not been frozen or beaten will be tough no matter how long you cook it.
- Sweet red pepper paste is a key ingredient here. You can find it at most Portuguese or international grocery stores, or order it online. It is not the same as hot pepper paste — make sure you get the sweet variety.
- When you transfer the tentacles to the roasting pan, leave all the liquid in the stockpot. You need that liquid to cook the potatoes.
- Ladle just enough liquid over the bottom of the roasting pan to keep things moist — but not so much that you are steaming instead of roasting.
- Keep an eye on the oven. The roasting time is short — 10 to 15 minutes — and you want caramelized edges, not dried out octopus.
- Serve immediately straight from the roasting pan with a nice glass of white wine. It does not need anything else.
Serving and Storing
Serve Azorean Roasted Octopus hot from the oven with the roasted potatoes arranged around it. A simple green salad and crusty bread round out the meal nicely. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of white wine or water to keep the octopus from drying out. This dish does not freeze as well as a stew — the texture of the octopus changes — so plan to enjoy it fresh.
You will need a large stockpot for the stovetop portion of this recipe — one big enough to hold the whole octopus comfortably. This Cuisinart is a solid, heavy-duty option that works great for dishes like this one and holds up well over time.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Print
- Yield: 4–6 People 1x
- Category: Fish
Ingredients
6–7 pounds of Octopus
3 onions, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of sweet red pepper paste
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of red hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
3 heaping teaspoons of kosher salt
3 bay leaves
2 cups of white wine
2 cups of olive oil
10 large white potatoes, peeled, cut in half or quarters
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 F degrees.
1. Clean the octopus very well with water. If you find that the octopus is very slimy, make sure to clean it well with vinegar to help remove most of the slime. Once it’s clean you can proceed to cut around the hood/head of the octopus and cut off each tentacle. Next, under running water again clean each tentacle very well until it’s clean of any slime.
2. Using a large stockpot, add all the clean tentacles and all the ingredients except for the potatoes and mix it all well together. Place the pot on the stovetop and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat.
3. After 30 minutes, remove all the tentacles and place them into a large roasting pan, leaving all the liquid in the stockpot. Leave the roasting pan aside for now.
4. Next, add all the potatoes into the stockpot with the remaining liquid, cover, and cook on medium to high heat until the potatoes are cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked add them to the roasting pan by placing them around the outside perimeter of the octopus.
5. Using a ladle, skim and remove the very top of the stockpot liquid and pore just enough to cover the bottom of the roasting pan… but not enough to cover the octopus.
In a preheated oven at 300*F degrees, add the roasting pan, uncovered, and roast for 10-15 minutes. Serve with a nice glass of wine… enjoy!
