Donostia Octopus in Olive Oil
Price: $15
Weight: 110g
Texture: Firm
Taste: Savory
Pair with: Chips and hot sauce
If you haven’t ventured outside of the fish-focused sphere of tinned fish, I really recommend you give it a try. Shellfish and mollusks are just as delicious as their vertebrate friends, and will expand your world of canned seafood. If you’re worried about texture, octopus makes a great first step into the world of invertebrates.
Donostia Octopus in Olive Oil is a briny, buttery, beautiful tin. There are over a dozen chunks of octopus tentacles (suction cups and all) packed in a clean olive oil with salt - that’s it. The octopus looks gorgeous and has a firm texture with a savory flavor. If you haven’t had octopus before, it’s slightly fishy but mostly mild - sort of like crab. This tin has been packed exceptionally well, resulting in a succulent flavor and toothsome texture. My only complaint about this tin is that some of the chunks are too big for a bite - you may want to cut them into smaller pieces.
This octopus is tasty on its own but works nicely with a crunchy cracker. It’s great on rye thins like Finn Crisp - the funky sourdough flavor pairs well with the fishy richness of the octopus. My favorite pairing was on a plain potato chip with some hot sauce. We tried at least six different hot sauces, but found a vinegar-based hot sauce like Zab’s really highlighted the buttery flavor of the octopus. You can also try a Louisiana-style hot sauce. If you’re not big on hot sauce, a grainy mustard will work nicely as well. The vibe here is highbrow/lowbrow - keep it simple and you’ll have a great time with this octopus.
This octopus is delicious but may be hard to find. I found this tin at Kitty’s in Hudson, NY, so you may find it at your local shoppy shop, or from Donostia’s website.
Thanks to Esme for suggesting octopus!
Rating: ★★★★.5
photos by Aaron Barton
Love octopus! This tin sounds super yummy. A bit pricey at $15 though…