In a land-locked state like Colorado, octopus probably isn't the first protein you think of when perusing a menu. But since the Seattle Fish Company, a seafood supplier to numerous restaurants around town, added octopus to its offerings, the eight-legged sea creature has become a trend throughout town. The preparations are various—hot, cold, starters and entrees—but they're all successful in their own right. Here are 13 octopus dishes to try now in Denver and Boulder.
Since Corner House underwent front- and back-of-house changes, the menu is skewing toward seafood. Find octopus confit in ceviche form with Castelvetrano olives, almonds, artichoke and gazpacho broth.
The Squeaky Bean is in on the octopus action with an appetizer that serves it accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes, black garlic, basil and greens.
Listed on the dinner menu under cold and crudo plates from the counter, Jax’s dish showcases braised octopus in salad form, with borage, Colorado anasazi beans, heirloom tomatoes and sherry shallot vinaigrette.
Though the menu here has gone through some format changes since opening in December, diners can look forward to a shared plate of charred octopus with stewed sweet peppers, charred eggplant, chickpea fry, baby fennel and aged balsamic.
This trendy taqueria has had the cephalopod on the menu since Day 1 in the octopus taco, topped with cabbage, orange, crispy parsnip and pasilla chile. Wash it down with an Urban Legend cocktail—tequila with Mexican Coke and Pop Rocks.
This restaurant at the Source in RiNo serves octopus in a pasta dish made up of house-made squid ink tagliarini, with the octopus braised in olive oil and mixed with calamari and sweet peppers.
This new addition from Mizuna alum Jon Robbins serves a grilled octopus appetizer with roasted salsify, pea tendrils, watermelon radish and harissa sabayon.
Though chef John DePierro experiments with the menu frequently, octopus is typically featured. The current iteration is created with house-made squid ink noodles, sea beans, lobster brodo and trout roe.
The grilled Spanish octopus with smoked pork sausage, San Marzano tomato and white bean stew, and Marcona almond tapenade gained praise as one of 5280 Magazine food editor Amanda Faison’s favorite dishes of the year.
Enjoy octopus in two different salads at the original Locale in Boulder: the polpo caldo features kale, garlic, chili, white beans and red onion; the frutti di mare includes it along with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, artichoke, shallot, potatoes and capers.
Try the harissa-marinated grilled octopus small plate on the dinner menu. It’s served with kimchi, pickled carrots and cucumbers, white bean puree and arugula.
Since Corner House underwent front- and back-of-house changes, the menu is skewing toward seafood. Find octopus confit in ceviche form with Castelvetrano olives, almonds, artichoke and gazpacho broth.
The Squeaky Bean is in on the octopus action with an appetizer that serves it accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes, black garlic, basil and greens.
Listed on the dinner menu under cold and crudo plates from the counter, Jax’s dish showcases braised octopus in salad form, with borage, Colorado anasazi beans, heirloom tomatoes and sherry shallot vinaigrette.
Though the menu here has gone through some format changes since opening in December, diners can look forward to a shared plate of charred octopus with stewed sweet peppers, charred eggplant, chickpea fry, baby fennel and aged balsamic.
This trendy taqueria has had the cephalopod on the menu since Day 1 in the octopus taco, topped with cabbage, orange, crispy parsnip and pasilla chile. Wash it down with an Urban Legend cocktail—tequila with Mexican Coke and Pop Rocks.
This restaurant at the Source in RiNo serves octopus in a pasta dish made up of house-made squid ink tagliarini, with the octopus braised in olive oil and mixed with calamari and sweet peppers.
This new addition from Mizuna alum Jon Robbins serves a grilled octopus appetizer with roasted salsify, pea tendrils, watermelon radish and harissa sabayon.
Though chef John DePierro experiments with the menu frequently, octopus is typically featured. The current iteration is created with house-made squid ink noodles, sea beans, lobster brodo and trout roe.
The grilled Spanish octopus with smoked pork sausage, San Marzano tomato and white bean stew, and Marcona almond tapenade gained praise as one of 5280 Magazine food editor Amanda Faison’s favorite dishes of the year.
Enjoy octopus in two different salads at the original Locale in Boulder: the polpo caldo features kale, garlic, chili, white beans and red onion; the frutti di mare includes it along with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, artichoke, shallot, potatoes and capers.
Try the harissa-marinated grilled octopus small plate on the dinner menu. It’s served with kimchi, pickled carrots and cucumbers, white bean puree and arugula.
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