章魚 / Octopus

北海道的章魚漁獲量是日本第一。雖然可以捕獲數種章魚，70%是體重超過20公斤的大型北太平洋巨型章魚。大多棲息在日本海和鄂霍次克海地區。口感彈牙，主要受到歡迎的料理方式為壽司、生魚片、涮涮鍋。一方面，以太平洋地區為中心可以捕獲到的是短腿蛸。除了生魚片，章魚燒和炸章魚塊也是受歡迎的料理方式。

Hokkaido is the biggest fishing prefecture in Japan when it comes to the annual octopus catch. There are a number of species but approximately 70% of the catch is mizudako - the prevalent species of the octopus family. It’s not uncommon to catch octopus weighing more than 20 kilograms. Mizudako mainly live in the area of Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. As the texture is juicy and soft, it’s typically used for sushi, sashimi, and shabu shabu. On the other hand, yanagidako is another popular octopus. Yanagidako mainly live in Pacific Ocean. It’s used for sashimi also, but takoyaki (octopus balls) or deep-fried are popular cooking methods.