Greek cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Kritamo Toursi

Sea fennel briefly blanched and pickled in vinegar brine — a salty, crunchy meze from the islands.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 400 g sea fennel (kritamo)
• 300 ml white wine vinegar
• 200 ml water
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Pick over the sea fennel, remove any woody stems and rinse the tender shoots thoroughly under running water to wash off sand and excess sea salt.
2. Bring plenty of water to a boil and blanch the shoots for exactly 2 min. so they keep their green color and stay crunchy.
3. Plunge immediately into ice water, drain well and dry on a cloth for 10 min.
4. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, peppercorns and bay leaves to a boil once, let bubble for 2 min., then let cool completely.
5. Layer the sea fennel with the crushed garlic cloves into clean jars, cover completely with the cold brine and top with the olive oil.
6. Seal the jars and let cure in a cool place for at least 5 days; drain to serve and drizzle with olive oil as a meze.