Want to try cooking fresh octopus but not sure where to find it? At The Cornish Fish Co., we offer octopus online delivery. Keep reading to find out where to find fresh octopus, and how to enjoy it!

Octopus online delivery

If you’re looking for fresh octopus, you’ve come to the right place. At The Cornish Fish Co., we sell whole Cornish octopus, even available for delivery! That means you can get fresh octopus delivered straight to your door at the click of a button – without the stress of choosing the perfect one, we’ll do that for you! When you order octopus online, you’ll receive 300-400g of whole Cornish octopus, cleaned and gutted. 

If you’re choosing your own octopus, there are a few things you can look out for. You should pick an octopus with two rows of suckers, this is an indication of better quality and better flavour. It could be argued, however, that additional suckers make the flesh tougher – so it’s up to personal preference! The benefit of buying a whole octopus is that you get more than just the tentacles – you can be more adventurous with what you try. Restaurants tend to just serve the tentacles, but the eyes can be equally as tasty when deep-fried. Also, the head (primarily the mantle and the siphon) tends to be the least chewy. 

Order your octopus online delivery from The Cornish Fish Co. today and get cooking!

How to cook octopus

When you order your whole octopus, it will already have been cleaned and gutted by us, so there’s no need to worry about tedious preparation. You can move straight onto sectioning your octopus. We would recommend separating the tentacles from the body, sectioning the tentacles away from each other. You can also remove the eyes from the head to cook separately or discard them, depending on your personal preference. 

The most straightforward way of cooking an octopus is to simmer it in salted water. Bring a pan to a boil, add the octopus and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the octopus for around 45-60 minutes. It’s important to cook the octopus slowly, this will avoid a rubbery texture. You can judge the tenderness of the octopus by gently pushing a knife into one of the tentacles. If it pushes into the thickest part of the flesh with minimal resistance, it’s cooked! 

You might find that the octopus had retained a lot of moisture, this can be removed by brining or sun-drying to tenderise the flesh before grilling or pan-frying. If this moisture isn’t removed, it can result in a rubbery texture. This isn’t necessary, however, as some people enjoy the authentic rubbery texture of an octopus. You can also add flavour to the octopus by marinating it, frying it in batter, or using it as a sushi ingredient.

An easy octopus recipe

The flavour profile of an octopus is quite delicate, so dressing it with some olive oil and mild seasoning is often enough. You can add extra flavour by cooking it on a barbecue or grill, introducing a hint of smokiness. If you’re unsure about seasoning, Mediterranean flavours are commonly paired with seafood. This includes lemon, fennel, chopped parsley, tomatoes and white wine.

If it’s your first time cooking octopus and you’d like a simple recipe, we’ve added one below for you to try!

Grilled Octopus

Ingredients:

• Whole octopus
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried oregano
• Fresh parsley
• Garlic

Step one: Prepare the octopus

Separate the head from the tentacles and remove the beak (between all the legs, on the inside).

Step two: Boil the octopus

Boil the octopus in salt water at a gentle simmer (as mentioned above) for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. 

Step three: Grill the octopus

Drizzle olive oil over the octopus while it’s resting, and add some chopped garlic if desired. You can chop the tentacles to a smaller size to make the grilling process easier. Grill the tentacles on a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, until crispy and slightly charred.

Step four: Season the octopus

You can serve the octopus as is, or add some additional flavours through seasoning. We’d recommend adding some lemon juice, salt, pepper and dried oregano, topped with fresh parsley. Alternatively, add whatever seasonings you’d prefer, the choice is yours! 

Get your octopus online delivery

There you have it! It might seem intimidating to cook octopus at home, but it’s a relatively simple process. Especially if you have your seafood delivered straight to your door with our online octopus delivery service! You can find more delicious seafood recipes on our website.

Check out our online shop today for a range of seafood options, all caught by local, Cornish, family-owned boats. Get in touch with us to find out more!