Fresh octopus on the East Coast in November and December.
Fresh octopus is usually available cleaned.
Octopus should have clean, gray skin, which turns purple when cooked. As with most mollusks, younger and smaller octopus is tastier and more tender than older, larger ones. The eight tentacles and body of the octopus are edible, but the eyes, mouth area, and viscera are not. Though there are some 50-foot specimens, this generally feared sea creature seldom reaches the size swimming in our imaginations. In fact, the majority sold in fish markets measure only one to two feet and weigh about three or four pounds.