Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

 

Ola 👋 Reminiscing one of my favourite food memories from Lisbon 🇵🇹... a humble bowl of tender, melt-in-your-mouth Portuguese octopus rice, arroz de polvo 🐙🍚. Perfect for fall comfort just around the corner.

Heavenly arroz de polvo at Lisbon's best sunset rooftop resto Chapito a Mesa.

Savoury arroz de polvo at Lisbon's Maria Catita.

So naturally, being Susan's savour-it (favourite), I had to recreate it; And for such a seemingly luxurious dish, it is a cinch to cook. But I have to say, it was three times to charm.

There is something so beautiful about this dish. It is simple, rustic Portuguese cooking at its best. Just a few ingredients, but every one of them matters. Octopus/squid, rice, onion, garlic, tomato, white wine, olive oil and herbs come together in a deeply flavourful broth that tastes unmistakeably of the sea. 

Traditional arroz de polvo is meant to be malandrinho, a wonderfully Portuguese style where the cooked short-grain rice stays loose and saucy, almost like a thick, brothy rice stew. It isn't about slowly coaxing starch into a creamy consistency or finishing with butter and Parmesan in a traditional risotto. The flavour comes from the broth itself, and octopus remains the star.

My little secret? Start with frozen raw octopus or large squid 🐙. Note *freezing breaks down the muscle fibres for the ultimate tenderness. The process is simple: simmer the octopus in water first. This releases incredible deep-sea flavour, creating a broth that is intensely savoury, briny and surprisingly slightly sweet. Then use the liquid bronze to cook the rice, so every grain becomes infused with the ocean.

It is one of those dishes that reminds me why I love travelling for food. You taste a place, bring the memory home, and then start playing in your own kitchen. Lisbon inspired me. My kitchen took it from there 🇵🇹💖

Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

Serves 6

2 lbs (1 kg) octopus or giant squid tentacles, preferably frozen *see note above

1 medium onion, unpeeled and halved

3 bay leaves. divided
8 cups of water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 
½ cup dry white wine

2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Carolino or Italian 
6 cups reserved hot octopus cooking broth, plus extra as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley or kale leaves, generously chopped

If you can't find octopus, giant squid tentacles are just as good!

In a medium pot, add the cleaned octopus with the halved onion, 1 bay leaf and 8 cups of water.

Add the excess brown liquid in package. Flavour on flavour.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the octopus is tender when pierced with a fork. *no need to add salt at this stage. Remove the octopus from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

Do not discard the broth! Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve it. This essential rich, bronze and slightly pink cooking liquid is what gives the rice its distinctive depth of flavour.

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, leaving a few tentacles whole if you want a more dramatic presentation.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions, garlic and 2 bay leaves. Saute until softened, translucent and fragrant about three minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and soften, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the white wine, let it bubble and allow the alcohol to cook off for two minutes. Add the chopped octopus to the saucepan, stirring to coat them in the aromatics. Stir in the rice.

Pour in the 6 cups of reserved hot octopus broth; bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and over; let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. 

During the last two minutes of cooking, stir in finely chopped kale if using, or parsley. The rice consistency should be thick and saucy. The dish is ready when the rice is cooked through. Add more broth if it needs it. Serve hot with a drizzle of EVOO at the table.

The dish should be saucy. If it seems dry, add more reserved hot broth.

Such a beautiful dramatic dish to present at the table for family or friends. Serve by itself as a hearty bowl or alongside fish and other accompaniments. This was made using arborio rice which is an alright substitute for carolino or Italian rice but its a bit too starchy, and if you don't eat it right away it continues to absorb liquid and gets mushy. 

First attempt albeit dry (with Arborio rice) served with pan-fried salmon.

Missing our Lisbon girl's getaway trip in May (In Cascais)

Full Recipe:

Portuguese Octopus Rice (Arroz de Polvo Malandrinho)

Serves 6

2 lbs (1 kg) octopus or giant squid tentacles, preferably frozen *see note above

1 medium onion, unpeeled and halved

3 bay leaves. divided
8 cups of water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 
½ cup dry white wine

2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Carolino or Italian 
6 cups reserved hot octopus cooking broth, plus extra as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley or kale leaves, generously chopped

In a medium pot, add the cleaned octopus with the halved onion, 1 bay leaf and 8 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the octopus is tender when pierced with a fork. *no need to add salt at this stage.

Remove the octopus from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

Do not discard the broth! Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve it. This rich, slightly pink cooking liquid is what gives the rice its distinctive depth of flavour.

Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces, leaving a few tentacles whole if you want a more dramatic presentation.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions, garlic and 2 bay leaves. Saute until softened, translucent and fragrant about three minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down and soften, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the white wine, let it bubble and allow the alcohol to cook off for two minutes. Add the chopped octopus to the saucepan, stirring to coat them in the aromatics. Stir in the rice. 

Pour in the 6 cups of reserved hot octopus broth; bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and over; let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. 

During the last two minutes of cooking, stir in finely chopped kale if using, or parsley. The rice consistency should be thick and saucy. The dish is ready when the rice is cooked through. Add more broth if it needs it. Serve hot with a drizzle of EVOO at the table.