Lulas recheadas are one of those dishes that make guests think you trained somewhere fancy: squid tubes stuffed with a savory mix of their own chopped tentacles, chouriço, breadcrumbs and herbs, braised gently in a tomato-wine sauce.
It is peak Portuguese coastal cooking — fresh seafood, bold seasoning, and a sauce built for bread. The chouriço in the stuffing is the quiet genius move, seasoning everything from the inside.
The assembly takes a little patience (a toothpick per squid, and resist overstuffing — they shrink as they cook), but the oven does the rest. Serve with crusty bread or steamed potatoes and let the sauce do the talking.
Lulas Recheadas Recipe
Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~342 per serving
Ingredients
- For the stuffing:
- 8 to 10 medium squid tubes, cleaned (tentacles reserved)
- ½ cup finely chopped chouriço or Spanish chorizo
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Chop the reserved tentacles into small pieces.
- Make the stuffing: heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tentacles, chouriço, paprika and parsley and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the breadcrumbs, season, and let it cool slightly.
- Fill each squid tube — loosely, they shrink — and close with a toothpick.
- Make the sauce in an ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven: cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant, add the tomatoes, wine, paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and simmer 5 minutes.
- Nestle the stuffed squid into the sauce, mostly covered.
- Cover and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the squid is tender.
- Garnish with parsley and serve warm with bread or potatoes.
Recipe Notes
- Squid obeys the rule of two: 2 minutes or 30-plus — anything between turns rubbery. This braise lands safely on the long side.
- A splash of piri-piri in the sauce is a welcome southern touch.
- Frozen cleaned squid tubes work well and save real effort.
