Cephalopods, or cuttlefish, octopus and squid to those of us without a marine biology degree, are without doubt the most overlooked of all seafood species landed at our ports.
Squid
Take squid for example. To prepare one takes about three minutes. And to cook one takes about the same time. What could be easier?
Squid is simple, delicious and plentiful. It can be grilled, griddled, fried, battered, stewed – honestly, it’s great.
Cuttlefish – not just for budgies
Squid is great, but how many of you have prepared and cooked a cuttlefish? Cuttlefish rocks my world.
Strangely, the perfect accompaniment for cuttlefish is peas. They go together so well. The firm texture of the Cuttlefish flesh and the sweet bite of the freshest peas is a combination quite unlike anything else.
There’s a great recipe in Rick Stein’s Spain. Cuttlefish are crazy, beautiful things and in fact, there are three different species found in UK waters.
Octopus
And let’s not forget the magnificent octopus. What a creature. ‘Bit rubbery isn’t it?’ No, it isn’t. Well, not when prepared properly.
Octopus is so good it should be considered a delicacy reserved for banquets of ambassadors, diplomats and the like. Incredibly, it’s actually available and affordable for us normal folk.
Treat octopus right and it will reward you. It’s simple too. Octopus is great boiled and served with a sprinkling of sea salt and smoked paprika and a little drizzle of olive oil. It could not be easier, or tastier.
Select from the list below to learn more about the cephalopods found in our waters.
If you’re looking for some inspiration check out a few of Fish Face’s book reviews to get some expert advice on creating some culinary cephalopod. One book I urge you to buy is Isaac Cronin’s, The International Squid Cookbook. It’s probably the greatest book on squid ever written (it may also be the only one).