We tried this in December, when we found it in a local store and decided to give it a taste. While we were cooking it up, my best friend called and asked if it was okay for her to come up so we could exchange our Christmas presents, and of course I said yes. However, I did forget to mention that we were cooking octopus.

At our house, it’s improper not to invite last-minute guests to sit down and have supper with us, so we set another place for her and let her help herself to as much as she wanted. The first bite she took, she actually turned green. I felt so horrible!

I thought it was actually pretty good, but I felt guilty for not warning my friend of the exotic food we were serving her. We laugh about it now, but it was a bit distressing at the time.

I’m still sorry about the octopus!

In Galicia, where I live,pulpo/polbo, it´s the national dish and a delicacy.
The key is to boil it properly.Not too hard, not too soft.Then,cut it with some big scissors,add salt and paprika and olive oil, of course.If you boil some potatoes as well, the pleasure is complete.
Today I tried it in a carpaccio style,with finely sliced melon on top…really sophisticated and yummy…

rubbery, no flavor

we had a grilled octopus appetizer at a great greek restaurant last night. i was expecting something like calamari, but it was actually very tender and almost flaky, like fish. really excellent.

Hmm, the first time I had it – when I was 4. It was from a can. I was living in Puerto Rico at the time. Rubbery and salty, but I didn’t hate it.

Second time: in a seafood salad at a Greek restaurant in Toronto. Wowza! This was from a much bigger octopus, I believe. They knew how to do it right. Not one bit rubbery. Delicious meaty flavor. The suckers were crunchy and kind of fun.

Third/fourth times: whole baby octopi, marinated in kinda an Asian barbecue sauce, at a sushi restaurant. Divine if you don’t think about squishing their little heads.

I may have to give up eating octopi because I just learned that they’re pretty smart. Then again…nope. They taste good. They’re an animal. I’m not going to base my eating on my gut reaction as to how sentient a particular species is. Although I would have a hard time eating primate, probably.

I’m pretty sure an octopus would eat ME, if it could or was disposed to doing so.