13 September, 2010

Fishy Delights 39: Reese Spiced Octopus in Seasoned Red Sauce

Of all the canned seafood I've eaten, I think octopus is one of my favorites.  There is something about the taste and texture of tinned octopus that just appeals to me:  tender yet resilient, mildly briny and shellfish-like, but with an almost buttery aspect to the taste.  I rarely pass up the opportunity to pick up a few cans of octopus or the similar-tasting cuttlefish when they're on sale.

Because Reese has pretty high quality standards - I've yet to get a bad product from them - I snapped up a couple cans of the Spiced Octopus in Seasoned Red Sauce when it turned up at Ocean State Job Lot.

Check out that big meaty chunk of octopus.
The octopus is indeed tender, and the sauce is pretty decent, if a bit oily:  tomatoes and spices present but not overwhelming.  There's just enough for a light lunch or to toss into a seafood salad, or stirred into a bowl of ramen.

One word of caution:  The top to these things have a pull ring, which tends to make the lid splash oily red sauce nearly everywhere when it comes off.  Be careful not to open it right next to your keyboard. (Yes. Personal experience talking.)

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5 comments:

Andrew said...

Now, THAT looks like a great find....
I'm feeling hungry for Swedish meatballs now for some reason.

Rodzilla said...

Definitely on the lookout for these. I have some rather enjoyable canned squid in ink sauce a few weeks back.

Dennis K. said...

Wow, I wonder where I can find a can of those here... Good to hear that they're tender.

J. Astro said...

Dave, normally your tinned seafood reviews make me sorta "bleh"/queasy-feelin' and I gotta give you props for bein' a bigger man than me when it comes to your enthusiasm for consuming said items. But I'll admit, even in "red sauce" (which sounds vaguely revolting to me) the pics you posted of this octo-snack are intriguing and maaaaybe just a little tempting. Bravo, fella!

llcwine said...

saw them at the Latham PC for $2.49 and of course bought them...I have to say your review of the texture was spot on, but I wasn't a huge fan...too much canned flavor for me I guess. Perhaps if I had mixed them as you suggested into a salad or with noodles it would have made an improvement.