Octopus - Tenderized on the Boat! - Starting at 3 pounds (5-10 servings)

“In 5 years, octopus will be the new prawn,” predicts Joe Rieke, Operations Director for Opper Melang Restaurants, including Seattle’s Ballard Annex Oyster House, “because prawns will not be around anymore, because we ate them all.”So octopus is spreading its tentacles far from its traditional base of Italian, Spanish and Japanese restaurants. "“In today’s food culture, people are more likely to go outside their comfort zone and try something new,” says Chef Zach Walrath of the Florentine in Chicago, who seasons his grilled octopus with giant white beans, pancetta, frisee, squid ink aioli, and saffron vinaigrette. “It’s a little funky on the plate, with the tentacles and suction cups, but it’s also delicious.” Chef Daniel Asher likes these octopus best as they are exceptionally well tenderized (a difficult process to do properly) and states " the octopus will blow minds when done confit style (slow cooked in duck fat or olive oil fully submerged at no more than 200 degrees) for a couple of hours submerged in duck fat or just straight olive oil". These beauties will amaze and thrill your guests.

Follow various Octopus recipes on our Recipes Blog. And remember how wonderfully the cotopus pairs with Caviaroli.

Daniel Asher, head chef at Root Down & Linger