What does octopus taste like?
Octopus tastes mild and slightly sweet, closer to chicken or lobster than to fish, and grilled octopus picks up a smoky char over a tender, meaty bite.
Octopus
smoky, tender and mild
Octopus doesn't taste fishy. The meat itself is mild, a little sweet and lightly briny, so most of the flavor comes from how it's cooked. Restaurants usually braise or simmer it until tender first, then sear or grill it hard so the outside crisps and chars while the inside stays soft. The texture is the real story: done well, it's tender with a gentle chew, like a good sausage. Done badly, it's rubbery. The suckers on the tentacles crisp up nicely on a grill.
Where you’ll see it
Grilled with olive oil, lemon and potatoes at Greek, Spanish and Portuguese places, as pulpo a la gallega (with paprika), in seafood salads, in takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls), and as tako at sushi bars.
Order it if you like calamari and grilled meat and want something with a bit of char and chew.
Quick questions
- Is octopus chewy?
- It shouldn't be. Cooked low and slow first, then grilled, it's tender with a soft bite. Chewy, rubbery octopus was rushed.
- Does octopus taste like squid?
- Similar, but octopus is meatier and denser, with a richer flavor. Squid (calamari) is lighter and cooks much faster.