Recipes › fennel bulb › Quick Fennel, Orange and Green Olive Salad
Quick Fennel, Orange and Green Olive Salad
This Sicilian-style salad is one of the best things you can do with a fennel bulb and it takes under 20 minutes from start to plate. Thinly shaved raw fennel has a crisp, refreshing bite that pairs brilliantly with sweet autumn oranges and briny olives, all dressed in nothing more than good olive oil and a little salt. It works as a punchy side dish or, piled onto bruschetta, as a starter.
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Ingredients
- 700 g fennel bulbs, tough outer layers removed, halved lengthways, very thinly sliced on a mandoline or with a sharp knife, fronds reserved
- 3 large oranges, peeled, segmented or cut into rounds, all pith removedblood oranges in season are spectacular here
- 100 green olives, pitted and roughly torn
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced into rings
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Slice the fennel as thinly as you can — ideally on a mandoline set to 2mm, or with the sharpest knife you have. Place the sliced fennel in a large bowl of ice-cold water and leave for 5 minutes. This crisps it up and mellows any harsh edge.About 5 min
- While the fennel soaks, prepare the oranges. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom, then slice away the peel and all white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut into rounds or segments. Catch any juice and reserve it.About 5 min
- Drain the fennel thoroughly and spin dry in a salad spinner, or pat dry firmly with a clean tea towel. Wet fennel will dilute your dressing.About 2 min
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, any reserved orange juice, salt and pepper to make the dressing.About 1 min
- Arrange the fennel on a large flat serving plate. Scatter over the orange pieces, torn olives and chilli rings. Drizzle the dressing over everything, scatter with the reserved fennel fronds, and serve immediately.About 2 min
Tips
- The ice-cold water soak is not optional if you want the fennel to be properly crisp — fennel sliced directly onto the plate goes a bit limp and loses its snap.
- Use the best extra virgin olive oil you have. With so few ingredients, quality matters enormously here.
- This needs to be dressed and eaten straight away — once dressed, the fennel begins to wilt within 20 minutes.
Ring the changes
- Add 50g of thinly shaved raw courgette for extra texture and a more substantial salad.
- A crumble of ricotta salata or feta across the top adds a salty, creamy richness if you're not keeping it vegan.
Keeping it
This salad does not store well once dressed. Keep the undressed components separately for up to a day in the fridge and assemble just before serving.
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