Somehow Spring completely skipped Washington DC this year. It was 55 and crappy and two days later it was 90 degrees with 100% humidity. And it appears it’s going to stay that way. I’ve been experimenting with a few light salads in an effort to defeat the absolute sweat-fest that is happening outside.
This fennel and orange salad fit the bill just fine.
Orange and fennel work.
This was a really simple salad that only required three main ingredients. It takes about 5-10 minutes to make (although it is better if you make it an hour or so in advance). It is completely refreshing.
And yes, I bought tangelos instead of oranges. I’m not really sure how I did that and didn’t recognize it until I got home. It’s cool though, you can use either. It is a bit sweeter with tangelos.
The makings of a killer salad.
The recipe for this couldn’t be easier.
Fennel and Orange Salad (from How to Cook Everything)
- 1 Pound fennel, approximately 2 medium-sized bulbs
- 3 oranges or in my case (doh) tangelos
- 1 lime, juice only
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Fennel may seem a bit intimidating if you’ve never prepared it before, but it is really simple. Chop off the top and root of the bulb, then slice in half lengthwise. Pop out the center core section of the fennel and then slice the sections as thin as you can get them. If you have a mandoline, this will be even easier.
Deconstructing the fennel.
Add these fennel sections to the juice of one lime and one orange. The other two oranges you want to prepare like this.
Orange you glad I showed you this?
Once you have the circular wedges, I chopped them in half again just to make them a bit easier to eat. Toss this all together with the cilantro and the fennel and let that marinate for as long as you want (up to 12 hours would be just fine).
The longer this sits the better it will be.
I made up a quick batch of couscous and also pan-seared a section of wild-caught salmon to finish off this salad.
Add some salmon for good measure.
This is one of those salads that you can make in just a few minutes, but leaves you feeling refreshed and good to go. I have a suspicion that this salad, maybe chopped a little finer, would also be awesome on a fish burger of some sort (tests pending).
Definitely give this a shot if you are looking to beat the now Summer heat.
yes, the weather here is crazy! hopefully it cools down today!
This fennel orange salad is so fresh for summer time, love it! :)
gosh that looks good -
and there wasn’t even a SLIVER of cheese!
imagine!
Question re the fennel bulb (having never worked with it before): did you slice ONLY the “center core section” or ONLY the “outer section” or both?
Sounds like a wonderful hot weather salad!
Good Question Karen. You throw away the center core section. It is kind of leafy. Then slice the outer sections as thin as you can.
If you’ve never used fennel before it has a light anise flavor that is really refreshing. Goes great with citrus and seafood.
Those photos make my mouth water. I’ve never had a fennel and orange salad, but have seen it before. What flavor does the fennel give?
That looks great! If it ever breaks the 0 degree mark (celcius) here in Calgary (I think the weather is a little off all over the place) I’ll put it on my list! Right now we are still into stews and braises, and eating in front of the fire place!
It definitely was hot Saturday, and I was brilliant enough to go for a run in the city. Seriously almost died. That said, I think D.C. is gorgeous and you have only my envy, no sympathy. Great salad, btw!
yum! fennel and orange go together wonderfully!
I throw the core into a bag in my freezer and then use it to flavor soup.
Nice Entre’ goes well with our northwest climate and tastes. My favorite with fennel is chiopino with mussels, halibut cheeks and salmon with small diced yukon gold potatoes.