How do you clean a whole octopus?

Rinse the octopus under cold water. Turn the head (the bulbous body) inside out and pull away all the innards, then rinse the cavity clean. Locate the hard beak in the centre underneath where all the legs meet, push it out from the inside and discard it. Cut out the eyes. If you want to keep the head, remove the ink sac; otherwise separate the head from the legs. Rinse everything well. It's now ready to tenderise and cook.

Where is the beak on an octopus and how do you remove it?

The beak is a small, hard, parrot-like mouthpart located on the underside of the octopus, right in the centre where all eight legs join. To remove it, turn the legs face-up, press around the centre to push the beak out from the middle, then pinch and pull it free and discard it. It's inedible and must always come out.

Do you need to remove the head and innards of an octopus?

Yes. Turn the head (the round body sac) inside out and pull out all the innards, including the ink sac and digestive organs. You can then either keep the cleaned head (it's edible and good braised) or cut it away and cook just the legs. The beak and eyes are always removed regardless.

Should you remove octopus skin?

Usually no. The skin is edible and, on most octopus, you leave it on; it helps hold the legs together and turns appealingly when cooked. After a long braise or boil the skin can loosen and some cooks rub a little off for presentation, but it's not necessary. For baby octopus, you almost always leave the skin on.

How do you tenderise octopus?

Octopus has tough muscle that needs either long, slow cooking or pre-tenderising. The most reliable method is to simmer it gently in water for 45–60 minutes (until a skewer slides easily into the thickest part of a leg), then grill or sear to finish. Other traditional methods include freezing then thawing (ice crystals break down the fibres), or a brief blanch-and-shock. Baby octopus is naturally tender and only needs quick cooking.

Can you eat octopus ink?

Yes, octopus ink is edible like squid ink and can be used to colour and flavour pasta, rice, or sauce, though it's milder and less commonly saved than squid ink. If you don't want it, remove the ink sac carefully when gutting the head and discard it, taking care not to burst it over the meat.

Do you clean octopus before or after cooking?

Clean it before cooking. Remove the beak, eyes, and innards while it's raw. The tenderising cook (a long simmer) comes after cleaning. Some fishmongers sell octopus already cleaned and even blanched, in which case it's ready to tenderise or cook straight away.

← Back to Blog

Guides

How to Clean Octopus (Step-by-Step with Video)

The Tasman Star Team27 May 20264 min read

octopushow to clean octopusseafood prepbaby octopusGold Coast seafood

How to Clean Octopus (Step-by-Step)

Quick answer: Rinse the octopus, then turn the head inside out and pull out all the innards (and the ink sac). Push the hard beak out from the centre where the legs meet and discard it. Cut out the eyes. Keep or remove the head as your recipe needs. Rinse well. It's ready to tenderise and cook. The whole job takes about 10 minutes.

Key facts:

Turn the head (body sac) inside out and pull out all the innards and ink sac
The hard beak is in the centre underneath, where all eight legs join. Push it out and discard
Cut out and discard the two eyes
The skin is edible and normally left on
The head is edible. Keep it for braising, or cut it away and cook just the legs
Clean octopus raw, before cooking; the tenderising simmer comes after
Cleaning takes about 10 minutes

Watch: Cleaning an Octopus

The fastest way to learn is to see it. Here's the whole process start to finish:

Cleaning a fresh octopus: removing the innards, beak and eyes, then rinsing ready to cook.

What You'll Need

A sharp knife
A board
A bowl for the bits you're discarding
Cold running water

Step-by-Step: Cleaning a Whole Octopus

1. Rinse it well

Give the whole octopus a good rinse under cold running water to wash off any surface grit or slime.

2. Clean out the head

The head is the round, bulbous sac (it's actually the body; the "head" with the eyes sits between it and the legs). Turn it inside out like a sock and pull away all the innards: the digestive organs and the ink sac. If you want to save the ink, lift the sac out whole without bursting it; otherwise discard it all. Rinse the cavity until it's clean, then turn it back the right way.

3. Remove the beak

Turn the octopus so the underside of the legs faces up. Right in the centre, where all eight legs join, is a hard, parrot-like beak. Press around the centre from the inside to push it out, then pinch it and pull it free. Discard it: it's inedible.

A cleaned octopus held underside-up, showing the eight legs splayed out from the centre where the beak sits — The underside of a cleaned octopus: the beak sits dead centre where all eight legs meet. Push it out from the inside and discard it.

4. Remove the eyes

Find the eyes on the head section between the body sac and the legs. Cut them out with the tip of your knife and discard.

5. Keep or remove the head

The cleaned head is edible and lovely braised. Either leave it attached, or cut it away from the legs if your recipe just wants the tentacles.

6. Final rinse

Rinse the legs and head once more. Your octopus is now clean and ready to tenderise and cook.

Next: Tenderise It

Octopus muscle is tough until it's properly cooked. After cleaning, the classic method is:

Simmer gently in water for 45–60 minutes, until a skewer slides easily into the thickest part of a leg.
Finish on the grill or in a hot pan for char and flavour.

Other tricks: freezing then thawing the octopus before cooking helps break down the fibres (ice crystals do the work), and baby octopus is naturally tender and only needs quick, hot cooking.

For the full cooking method, see how to cook tender calamari (the same fast-or-slow principle applies to octopus) and octopus vs squid vs cuttlefish.

Prefer It Cleaned and Ready?

Cleaning octopus is satisfying, but you can skip straight to cooking. Tasman Star sells:

Whole octopus: fresh and frozen, to clean yourself
Baby octopus: cleaned, tender, ready to grill or stir-fry
Blanched and cooked octopus: ready to slice and finish

Browse squid, octopus & cuttlefish at Tasman Star →

Buying Octopus on the Gold Coast

Tasman Star Seafood stocks octopus (whole, baby, and cooked) at both stores:

Varsity Lakes: 20 Casua Dr, (07) 5522 1221
Labrador: 5–7 Olsen Ave, (07) 5529 2500

Gold Coast home delivery runs 7 days a week.

→ Next: octopus vs squid vs cuttlefish · how to cook tender calamari

Written by

The Tasman Star Team · Gold Coast fishmongers

Articles from the fishmongers at Tasman Star Seafood. We source, fillet and sell fresh seafood on the Gold Coast seven days a week, and everything we publish comes from what we handle in the shop.

Fresh seafood delivered to your door

Order octopus online from Tasman Star Seafood, Gold Coast delivery, open 7 days.

Shop octopus →