How to choose the right octopus meat?

There are many varieties of octopuses in nature. Some of them are poisonous and not eaten. Only representatives of safe species with edible meat enter the store shelves… Octopuses can be sold as frozen or chilled carcasses, whole or in separate pieces. Regardless of the species, these seafood must always be carefully evaluated before purchasing. Only a high-quality and fresh product will have the traditional taste for an octopus.

Octopus skin comes in a variety of colors. The color shade is most often uneven. The skin on the outside and inside of the tentacles can be radically different. The most common varieties are pinkish and lilac-purple octopuses.

How to choose an octopus

When choosing an octopus, you should not be guided by the color of the skin. An important role is played by the degree of freshness of the seafood and its external characteristics. A stale octopus can cause serious poisoning, so the buying process should be treated with a high degree of responsibility.

What kind of octopus can you buy:

• if the octopus is bought as a whole, then in addition to the absence of damage on the carcass, an important quality criterion is the eyes (the eyeballs must be clean and transparent);
• there should be no dark spots on the skin of the octopus and the ends of its tentacles (such spots are easily distinguished visually from the nuances of the color of the octopus, and it is rather difficult to confuse them);
• if the octopus is bought chilled, then it is important to pay attention to the strength of its skin (if it is too thin or has tears, then the seafood was stored improperly and, most likely, was repeatedly frozen);
• the most common color of octopuses eaten is brown (there are other varieties, but if there is a choice, it is better to give preference to this particular option);
• the smaller the octopus is, the more tender and juicy its meat will be;
• the octopus should be moderately soft and elastic (the degree of elasticity can be checked by lightly pressing your finger on the skin, if the octopus immediately took shape and did not deform, then the seafood is fresh and of high quality);
• there should be no dirt or foreign small objects on the skin of the octopus (the carcass must be absolutely clean and shiny);
• the shade of the skin on the inner parts of the tentacles is always lighter than on the outer;
• there should be no ice or a lot of snow in the package with frozen octopus;
• if the octopus is bought in packaging, then it is imperative to compare all the dates (packaging and expiration date), and also check that there are no double labels;
• it is better to buy small or medium-sized octopus carcasses.

What octopus is not worth buying:

• You should not buy an octopus carcass with cloudy eyes (such seafood was either stored for a long time and improperly, or it has already begun to deteriorate);
• if black or dark spots are clearly visible at the ends of the octopus’s tentacles, then it is also not recommended to buy it (this is one of the first signs of stale seafood);
• if, with light pressure on the surface of the octopus, dents remain on its carcass, then it is not recommended to buy it (seafood is stored for a long time and incorrectly);
• skin with tears and damage indicates improper storage of the octopus;
• if the frozen octopus has an impressive amount of ice or snow inside the package, then you should refuse to buy it (ice and snow appear when re-freezing, and the octopus cannot be frozen more than once);
• from a whole octopus, only tentacle carcasses are used for food (entrails and hard partitions are removed before cooking seafood);
• fresh octopus cannot be dry (its surface is always slightly moistened, shiny and smooth);
• if on the package with an octopus one label is pasted on top of another, then you should not buy it (under no circumstances should you buy and eat expired octopuses);
• It is better not to buy large octopus carcasses (it is rather difficult to carefully check their freshness due to the size, and in terms of taste, such seafood will be tougher due to its age).

When choosing an octopus as a whole or a sliced ​​version, it is better to give preference to carcasses. Firstly, it is easier to determine the freshness of seafood by them, and secondly, they are better by their taste. When cutting an octopus, the conditions for its storage and processing may be violated. In addition, unscrupulous sellers often deliberately cut and freeze the octopus’s tentacles to hide the fact of its corruption.