This fresh orange and fennel salad is a healthy way to enjoy the crunchy texture of fennel and make you absolutely fall in love with this vegetable’s flavor if you haven’t already. Served at room temperature, this unique and simple salad is crunchy, slightly sweet, and extremely flavorful.
Now that I’m starting to get back into the kitchen a bit, I’ve been craving lighter dishes to serve for dinner. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been dreaming ahead to when we have fresh produce coming out of our soon to be planted garden, or at least the opportunity to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies at our local farmer’s market. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because I know that our annual beach trip is only a few months away and the thought of my big butt in a bathing suit, or even a pair of shorts for that matter, is not a welcome sight at the moment.
Thankfully, this fresh and crunchy salad is the perfect way to solve my fresh fruit and veggie cravings as well as my need to go a wee bit lighter in hopes of getting back into a healthier lifestyle. Now, if only I could tame my cravings for chocolate, then perhaps I might stand a chance of losing a few pounds and not looking like a big ol’ beached whale in my shorts this summer. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do around this time of year when there are chocolate eggs and bunnies practically staring you down at the end of every single grocery aisle.
Ingredients:
- 2 Large Oranges
- 1 Large Fennel Bulb
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off of one of the oranges so that it will sit firmly on a cutting board without wobbling. Then, use the knife to remove all of the peel. Segment the orange with the same sharp knife, cut each segment in half, and then place the segments into a medium bowl.
- Slice the fennel bulb in half and then finely slice each half of the fennel bulb. Place all the sliced fennel bulb in the same bowl as the orange segments.
- Remove all of the fennel fronds from the fennel bulb, finely chop them, and then add them to the orange segments and finely sliced fennel.
- Cut the remaining orange in half, and squeeze each half into a measuring cup until you have 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper for 1 minute.
- Pour the mixture over the sliced fennel and orange segments, stir to combine, and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Suggestions:
- I cut the fennel bulb in half so that the fennel slices are easier to eat. It also makes it a little bit easier to finely slice the fennel bulb. You will only use the fennel bulb and the fennel fronds in this recipe. Remove the stalks and discard them.
- The amount of juice you get from the second orange will depend on its size and juiciness. You only need 1/4 cup for this recipe, so you can save any extra juice for later or drink it immediately.
- Allowing the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes gives the fennel a chance to marinate.
- This salad will keep up to 2 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
Improvements:
- Serve topped with a little bit of crumbled feta cheese.
- Use whole grain mustard instead of Dijon.
- This crunchy salad would be the perfect accompaniment for any fish or pork dish. It would also taste absolutely fantastic alongside this Flounder Cordon Bleu.
Ingredients:
- 2 Large Oranges
- 1 Large Fennel Bulb
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off of one of the oranges so that it will sit firmly on a cutting board without wobbling. Then, use the knife to remove all of the peel. Segment the orange with the same sharp knife, cut each segment in half, and then place the segments into a medium bowl.
- Slice the fennel bulb in half and then finely slice each half of the fennel bulb. Place all the sliced fennel bulb in the same bowl as the orange segments.
- Remove all of the fennel fronds from the fennel bulb, finely chop them, and then add them to the orange segments and finely sliced fennel.
- Cut the remaining orange in half, and squeeze each half into a measuring cup until you have 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper for 1 minute.
- Pour the mixture over the sliced fennel and orange segments, stir to combine, and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
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