Cephalopods & Lent

By Ruth Levy

Lent is just around the corner and a great category to feature is Cephalopods:  Squid, Octopus and Cuttlefish.  These seafood items are consumed across many different cultures and certainly represent an opportunity for both the buyer and the seller.  In their frozen cleaned form, squid, octopus and cuttlefish are truly one of the best values in the seafood category as there is no waste, everything can be cooked.

How and where are these items used?  Squid or calamari is used in just about every type of restaurant whether it is fried, added to a seafood stew or poached and used in salad.  Cuttlefish is typically found more in Asian and Mediterranean cuisines stewed, grilled or fried.  Octopus has come into its own and can be found on your local Mexican, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese & Australian Restaurant menu just to name a few.  The dishes can range from fried, sautéed, salad, barbecued to stewed.  The applications are quite limitless for this seafood category of cephalopods.

The value for cephalopods lies not only in the versatile applications but also in the low cost of the product.  Cleaned squid, octopus and cuttlefish are all 100% usable and cost a reasonable amount compared to other proteins.  This is one category where the three mantras of value, versatility and variety all apply.

So, when thinking about what to eat or to feature during Lent, don’t forget Cephalopods:  Squid, Octopus and Cuttlefish.  There are close to seven weeks to focus on seafood and cephalopods should be on the top of the list.

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Cephalopods are in big demand during the Christmas season.  The three major types that are purchased and consumed are:  Pulpo/Octopus, Sepia/Cuttlefish & Calamari/Squid.

Many people do not understand the difference between these three and tend to lump them all together.  However each type is a distinct animal.  Cooking methods can be quite similar but there are distinctive characteristics to each.

Pulpo or Octopus: 

Sold as large cleaned (each individual octopus weighs one to several pounds) or baby cleaned (several octopi per one pound).  These are typically boiled for salad or stewed in tomato sauce and transcend several cuisines:  South American, Mediterranean and Asian etc.  The cooked meat is chewy but flavorful. The tentacles are quite long and are cut into pieces while the head meat is sliced.

Sepia or Cuttlefish: 

This cephalopod is not as well known in the USA as its cousins the squid or octopus.  However, in Europe and Asia, this is the prized cephalopod for flavor and consistency.  The animal is a cross between both the squid and octopus in appearance.  The thick meat cooks up snow white and is tender with a subtle flavor.  It is delicious when grilled or stewed but is just as tasty fried or boiled. The tentacles are shorter and the body (or tube) is where the thick slices come from.  Once again the forms sold in the marketplace are either:   large cleaned, large uncleaned or baby cleaned.

Calamari or Squid:    

Most everyone knows this cephalopod.  The tube and tentacles are fried or the tube is stuffed.  Product is sized by tube length and there are many tubes or tubes & tentacles per pound. 

Happy Holidays!  May cephalopods be included on your holiday menu!

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