The UK Is Experiencing an Octopus Boom – Here’s Why

Keen eyes will have noticed that octopus is making unusually frequent appearances on menus right now. From seafood specialists like Noisy Oyster and Tollington’s to Mediterranean restaurants such as Bar Valette and Leo’s, and more unlikely embracers like Kiln and Silo, octopus is everywhere.

It’s all down to an abnormal fishing boom in the south of England – which, at its peak, saw 30 tonnes of octopus land at Brixham Fish Market in one day. “For a three-month period from May, octopus was probably the dominant species [in the catch],” says Alex Hunter, founder of The Sea, The Sea, a shop, restaurant and fishmonger supplying 40 Michelin-starred venues.

Hunter explains that the glut has been caused by octopuses migrating north from the Mediterranean, possibly due to warmer sea temperatures. Fishermen have been targeting the catch because octopus is an invasive species. “Plenty of the restaurants we supply are taking octopus on. And if anyone had a Mediterranean octopus on their menu before, they’re just buying the Cornish one now – it’s the same.”

The phenomenon has encouraged restaurants focusing on British produce to use the ingredient. Sesta in Hackney temporarily added glazed octopus to its menu, while The Camberwell Arms recently introduced a Cornish octopus dish with green peppers, chickpeas, chilli and aioli.

“The glut being landed by the day boats out of Brixham was the reason to put this delicious and usually imported fish on the menu,” Camberwell Arms head chef Mike Brown tells Broadsheet. “We try to focus on sustainably fished produce and do our best not to source from too far afield. It is a joy to put a dish like this on and be able to source 80 to 90 per cent of the ingredients from the UK.”

But it’s not all good news. The glut has led to a fall in the catch of crab, lobster and scallop, which the octopuses prey on. As a result, the price of shellfish hasn’t dropped as much as usual this summer. “Boats have reported the Mediterranean octopus crawling into crab and lobster pots, feeding on the shellfish and leaving behind only the empty shells,” says Katie Brunt, marketing manager at Brixham Fish Market. “It’s unclear what impact this might have on the crab and lobster fishery going forward.”

There’s also the fact that octopus is often regarded as a tough sell to customers. Alfie Bahnan, head chef at Noisy Oyster, put octopus con tomate on the menu as a late addition following the restaurant’s launch in late June, after hearing from his supplier that the Cornish octopus “is the best it’s ever been”.

“Obviously, octopus is quite a tentative thing for some people,” Bahnan says. “Some people love it, some don’t, maybe because of how intelligent they are. But there’s such a high supply of it at the moment and it’s been affecting the habitat of shellfish. It can be difficult to [tell] that to guests, but it’s been selling really well.” He intends to integrate octopus into next season’s menu, too.

Hunter says the supply of octopus has dropped off more recently – he suspects the seas have cooled, and the octopuses have run out of food and migrated back to the Med. “We’ll have to watch this space and see whether this is an annual occurrence,” he says. Brunt says that Brixham’s last recorded bloom of Mediterranean octopus was back in the 1950s.

“Some fishermen [have] mentioned that their inshore pots had octopus eggs attached to them, which might lead to another bloom at some point,” she says. “The surge could return in a few months, in another 60 or 70 years, or maybe not at all.”

Octopus on the plancha

Braised octopus with pine nut ajo blanco, tomato vinaigrette, mustard leaf and marigold

Grilled octopus, potato and piment d’espelette

Octopus carpaccio

Cornish octopus, green peppers, chickpeas, chilli and aioli

Octopus con tomate with datterini tomatoes, coriander and chilli

Grilled octopus with flamed green beans and fermented savoy cabbage

Grilled Cornish octopus with charred aubergine and pepper, pig’s trotter, rouille

Charred octopus with spicy datterini tomatoes and potato goulash

Cornish octopus salad with capers from Salina, parsley and onions

British octopus skewer with bacon, salsa macha and coriander aioli