Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita
Octopus poached dry in its own liquor for the best part of an hour, then blistered and packed into pita with shaved fennel.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 200 g Octopus
- 1 Pita
- 120 g Fennel bulb
- 1 Lemon
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 25 g Arugula (optional)
- 8 g Dill (optional)
- ½ tsp Dried oregano (optional)
Method
- Rinse the octopus under cold water and cut the tentacles away from the head, leaving them whole — they give up about a third of their length once the heat reaches them.
- Set the tentacles in a small pan with the lid on and no water at all, over the lowest flame you can hold. They release enough of their own liquor to poach in and are ready at about fifty minutes, when a knife pushed into the thickest part meets no resistance at all.
- With the pan ticking over, shave the fennel bulb as thin as you can hold the knife, then turn the slices through the rocket and the picked dill.
- Squeeze half the lemon into a small bowl, add the dried oregano, then pour the olive oil in slowly and work it with a fork until it turns thick and pale. That is the ladolemono.
- Lift the tentacles out and pat them properly dry, then lay them on a bare pan hot enough to make them hiss on contact, six minutes in all, leaving each face down until the suckers blacken at the rim and the skin pulls tight.
- While the tentacles take their char, lay the pita on a dry pan over the lowest flame, drape a folded cloth over it and leave it two minutes; the trapped steam takes the fridge stiffness out of it.
- Cut the hot tentacles into thumb-length pieces on a board and squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over them while the surface is still hot enough to drink it in.
- Open the pita, bed the fennel and rocket down the middle, lay the octopus over the top and spoon the ladolemono across the lot before folding the bread around it.
- Eat it leaning over the board rather than sitting down — the dressing runs the moment you bite in.
About Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita
Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita is a Greek lunch or dinner that comes together in about 66 minutes and serves 1. It fits anti-inflammatory eating.
Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita: frequently asked questions
Is Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Pita. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita take to make?
About 66 minutes start to finish, but only around 25 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out arugula, dill, dried oregano — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Charred Octopus and Fennel Pita make?
This recipe makes 1 serving. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.