WORDS Tania Soares
From the north to the south of Portugal, friends and family come together at this time of year. Octopus takes the spotlight in various Portuguese dishes and some claim that the secret to achieving more tender meat is to leave it in the freezer for several days. In December, octopus will reign on the Christmas dinner tables at Mar d’Estórias when our chefs will present a menu dedicated to tradition with a touch of refinement.
This eight-armed cephalopod, which hides among the rocks in summer to spawn, is a familiar element in the pages of Portuguese cookbooks. It is said that the octopus from the south of Portugal possesses unique properties because of its diet of small crustaceans and fish, which makes it highly sought after on the other side of the world, in Japan. In the past, they used clay amphorae to catch them. Nowadays, traps are made of nets and iron, featuring an octopus-sized opening and a small bag of mackerel or sardine bait.
One of the dishes on our Christmas menu will be Baked Octopus with Sweet Potato. Chefs Rafael Pacheco and Maria João Ceita are eager to delight you with delicious flavours, and for that reason, they share their recipe with you.
Ingredients (for one person)
- 10 g rosemary
- 10 g thyme
- 140 g onion
- 200 g ripe tomato
- 2 g garlic
- 250 g octopus
- 40 g olive oil
- 120 g sweet potato
- 3 g salt
- 1 g pepper
- 120 g bell peppers
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Make a vegetable bed of onions, garlic and bell peppers on a baking tray. Wrap the octopus with thyme, rosemary, olive oil and tomatoes.
- Cover the baking tray with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Place the unpeeled sweet potato and season with coarse salt in another tray. Cover with aluminium foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
- After removing the sweet potato from the oven, peel and cut into pieces.
- When the octopus is ready, serve both the sweet potato and the octopus on the bed of vegetables.
Chef’s tip:
For a festive presentation, garnish the dish with sprigs of fresh rosemary and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The simplicity of this dish is its greatest asset. Let the natural flavours of the ingredients come to the fore, and you’ll have a memorable Christmas dinner.
Make your company’s Christmas dinner a meaningful experience in a cosy setting where the Portuguese essence shines. Feel free to request the complete menu and any additional information via email at cafe.bistro@mardestorias.com or get in touch with us at +351 282 792 165.
