| OCTOPUS | SHRIMP | SQUID |
| SHELLFISH | FIN FISH | FILLETS/LOINS |
| SPECIALTY ITEMS |
'RICKY' PHILLIPINE RAW OCTOPUS
 |
  CLICK ON THUMBNAIL TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE |
Philippine octopus is a species that is spindly legged and typically grey or purple when raw and purple when cooked. The Latin name is Octopus cyanea.
The product is caught year round by divers in the southern Philippines. Production is often interrupted by poor weather (including typhoons), religious holiday periods and an occasional migration in the labor supply to more lucrative fishing.
Much of the production comes from the western Mindanao area of Zamboanga. But substantial production comes from other areas such as Palowan. The same species in much smaller quantities is available sporadically from Malaysia and Indonesia.
The most common product form available is raw cleaned with guts, eyes and beak removed. The raw octopus is then swirled into a ball shape, placed in a plastic bag and frozen.
Size grading is
typically 1-2 lb, 2-4 lb, 4-6 lb and 6-8 lb per piece. Under 1 lb
size and 8 lb up size are occasionally available in small quantities and
on a special order basis.