Ramón Peña Octopus

Octopus is a tricky fish to tin. We've never sold it and it's not from lack of trying. I've probably tasted octopus from twenty different companies. Those fish suffered a range of maladies: overly gelatinous, too cat-foody, or they had what I like to call "rubber hose phenomenon."

I came to Ramón Peña's octopus with low expectations born from experience. What I tasted was a treat, a lovely surprise. Peña's round tin holds over a dozen slices of tentacle, suckers intact. Octopus is never a melt-in-your-mouth food and these are appropriately meaty, with a satisfying ticky-tacky bite that never veers toward garden hose. They also sport a scent of sea so clear it's disarming.

A tin serves four as an appetizer. And since one of those four people probably doesn't eat octopus that means there's more for you.