Advice? I am planning a grilled octopus appetizer. Where can I source this? Frozen? Fresh? I am also looking for a cheap source for frozen (or fresh) turkeys (or breasts). Seems these are widely available at discounts only on holidays.
Leads on octopus:
Providence pantry
Epicurus gourmet (sorry for god awful pic wasn’t expecting to share this one)
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You may want to talk to your local butcher at Sprouts. We source our out of season Turkey Breast there. They just need to order it.
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Epicurus Gourmet has frozen octopus. I have seen it fresh at Vallarta, but not sure it is a standard item there.
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Oops @Ns1 already posted about Epicurus.
Thanks guys! It has been too long since we got together. I like epicurus but $25 for a small tray of frozen octopus? I htink I would be more likely to take my chances from korean or asian markets. I like the idea of Vallarta but that is far from me. I would love to find actual fresh (not frozen thawed) but not sure any are really that. Do you guys thing that using frozen\raw or frozen\pre-cooked would give a decent spanish style grilled octopus result? The usual recipe is to gently poach and finish on the grill.
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You usually can get a whole live octopus at a Korean Market. Not sure what pricing is like tho’
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Here’s a link to cooking octopus in a pressure cooker, Pressure-Cooker Octopus Recipe
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Some Costcos have octopus. Korean and Japanese markets usually do.
Mexican markets often have turkey, particularly if they get many Yucatecan customers. Kosher markets too.
Chefs sometimes freeze fresh octopus to tenderize it.
Give these guys a shot. BR Foods
Turkey breasts aren’t available under their individual purchase section for consumer only whole turkeys but it is available on the commercial side. Might be worth a call as they’ve been responsive the couple of times I’ve had a question.
They also have octopus in bulk in their commercial section, not sure how much you’re looking for.
For the individual purchase, it’s been order and pickup in their downtown warehouse.
Costco (just using Instacart because perishables don’t show up in a costco.com search):
J&P West Coast Seafood which is at several farmer’s markets (La Cienega, Hollywood, Pasadena, etc.). You might want to call and see if they’ll have it on hand. I believe it’s from the Mediterranean, previously frozen, perfect size.
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If you go to Restaurant Depot, they have wild caught Spanish Octopus in their frozen section that are always 2-3 lbs, at $5.50/lb last time I went. They’ve opened up the store to non-restaurant customers since the pandemic started. It’s very good quality. Just thaw in the fridge overnight, give it a good rinse, and do your thing!
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Temps are coming down… flus shots are arriving in Doctors office… so Caldo season is upon us… My neighborhood live kill place is setting out the ‘trozos’ of Turkey! $149lb… take you pick! Local Turkey…
Not far from the 10 freeway on Western. Street Parking only, English okay, Limited entry, Covid protections in place, cards welcome. DO NOT COME ON SUNDAY MORNING. An Abuelita will shank you if you don’t move fast enough. The chicken chorizo is fresh kill, house made and amazing.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/exposition-fish-and-poultry-mkt-los-angeles
–Dommy!
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That’s a great find and a great price.
Thanks so much for all the advice. I synthesized a few recipes and everything came out great. Thanks Ebethsdad for the octopus recipe link. That was a very helpful discussion. I got octopus at a Vallarta in East LA and it was inexpensive and delicious. I used my instant pot. Fried up some onions and celery in it. Added enough water and got it to a boil. Dipped the octopus to set. Fascinating result. It goes from droopy to rolled up tentacles. Pressure cook 15’. Then oil, salt, and pepper and finish on the grill to get a little char. Delicious served on some frisee. Perfect delicate texture. I think it is really easy to simulate pencil erasers but this technique resulted in very tender but not mushy texture. Served with a couple of Bandol Roses. Also thanks for thinking about the turkey. I found something I had never seen before at Von’s. Sort of fresh pack tubes of boneless skinless turkey breast. Not as cheap as whole turkeys but not bad and a whole lot less work as I had a lot to do. Did the slow-cooker prep in milk. Very very tender and juicy. Super-easy.
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Sounds like it turned out beautifully.
If you ever want to source fresh turkey out of season Jim’s Fallbrook Market, https://www.jimsfallbrookmarket.com/, out in the West Valley carries it year round. Not inexpensive as you stipulated but quality meat if you want to splurge. Great bbq on the weekend as well.