Citrus Fennel Salad

Why you’ll love it

If you’ve ever added fennel to a recipe, you”ll know all about its subtle aniseed taste. It perfectly complements the meat in some cooked dishes, such as this sausage bolognese.

But fennel is also crunchy and fabulous raw and sliced thinly like an onion, like in this simple, classy and citrus and fennel salad!

Add segments of juicy, in-season oranges, shaved parmesan cheese, green salad and fresh mint and a very simple honey citrus dressing and you have the formula for an incredible Mediterranean style salad.

This salad has it all – crunchy, juicy, aromatic, and sweet. And will only take you a few moments to make.

I’ve served this citrus fennel salad for dinner in the summer with chicken, salmon, pizza or even quiche. But for me where it really shines is as a ‘fancy but simple’ side dish for a celebratory meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. While both fennel and citrus might be available year-round, they are usually in season in the colder months, making it the perfect winter salad.

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

Green salad: I like a mix of arugula (rocket) and spinach, or go for mixed green leaves. I usually opt for a pre-washed bag of salad, just to make things easier.

Fennel: If you can, buy a nice firm white/pale green one. Chop off both ends and any untidy or dirty outer layers so you’re left with just the big bulb. Then chop thinly like an onion.

Also try to choose one with nice fresh-looking green fronds. You’ll be using those in the salad, too! They taste a bit like dill, but are less intense in flavor.

Two citrus fruit: Use any , but if it’s in season they’ll be more juicy and delicious. Navel oranges or Cara Cara oranges are sweet and with minimal seeds in winter to spring, and Valancia oranges are a good choice from spring to summer. I also love to add some colorful blood oranges when they’re in season.

You can also try grapefruit, tangelos, or a mixture of citrus fruit.

Fresh mint: This goes so well with the oranges or other citrus fruit! Around a quarter of a cup is about right as you want to complement the other flavors rather than overpower them.

Parmesan cheese: I always use shaved parmesan rather than grated for the texture and more intense flavor to contrast with the fresh, fruity salad. Feta cheese, pecorino, or goat cheese are other options that work well.

For the dressing

Olive oil: If you can, use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for using in dressings. Tip: Oils from a single country, such as Greece, Italy or Spain, tend to be more consistent in quality than blends from a mix of places.

Honey: For a hint of extra sweetness.

Lemon juice: You can replace this with vinegar if you don’t have a lemon.

You’ll also find that some orange juice seeps into the salad from the orange segments, acting like a natural dressing.

How to make a citrus fennel salad

As with any salad, there’s not much to this. There are just 5 ingredients to toss together, then the 3 dressing ingredients to mix and drizzle over.

Start by slicing the very ends off the fennel bulb. Then thinly slice the whole bulb. I find the best way to cut the oranges is to cut them into quarters, then use a small sharp knife to slice off the peel. Then cut into slightly smaller segments.

Enjoy the fragrant aromas of the aniseed-y fennel and sweet citrusy orange!

Then toss together the chopped fennel and orange with the green salad, mint leaves and parmesan cheese. I usually do this in a really big bowl.

Whisk together the 3 vinaigrette ingredients. Then toss through the salad. I like to empty the salad onto a big platter to serve, but if serving midweek to your family feel free to just serve as it is, straight from the big bowl.

Serving ideas

You can eat this citrusy fennel salad by itself for lunch with bread. Or you can serve it as a side dish. Some of my favorite mains to serve it with include:

• air fryer grilled chicken thighs or air fryer BBQ chicken legs
• crispy panko chicken
• quiche lorraine, zucchini quiche or sheet pan frittata
• meatballs or sausages (try air fried Greek meatballs)
• 10-minute salmon with yogurt dill sauce, or another kind of meat, fish or other protein.
• Greek yogurt pizza

To make this into a light meal with chicken, fish or another protein, stir through cooked quinoa, couscous or any other kind of grain (you may wish to add a little more of the dressing).

I also think this makes a perfect winter ‘celebration’ salad for your Thanksgiving, Christmas or other holiday table!

Variations

Although this dish only has 5 main ingredients (plus the easy dressing!), there are several ways to ‘make it your own’. Here are some of my favorites:

• Add something crunchy! Nuts or toasted seeds are the obvious example. Try pecans or walnuts, or beautiful green and pink pistachios. Pine nuts or sunflower seeds/pepitas would be great, too. If you’d rather skip nuts and seeds, how about some crunchy croutons or toasted chunks of day-old, crusty bread?
• Use feta, goat cheese, pecorino, blue cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, or another favorite cheese instead of parmesan.
• Instead of (or as well as) orange slices or other citrus such as grapefruit, crisp apple slices, or sliced stone fruit such as nectarine, peach, or plum.
• Add in a little sliced cucumber, radish, beets or lightly cooked asparagus.
• Add a squeeze of lime to the dressing as well as or instead of the lemon.