Peanut Free Fennel-Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and genuinely stunning on a platter, this fennel and orange salad is the kind of dish that makes people ask for the recipe before they've even finished their first bite. Shaving the fennel thin and soaking it in ice water is the secret move here — it transforms what can be a sharp, fibrous vegetable into delicate, curling ribbons with a clean, mild crunch. Buttery Castelvetrano olives and sweet navel orange segments bring a Mediterranean richness that plays beautifully against the citrus dressing, which gets its depth from both fresh orange juice and lemon juice whisked together with honey and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free from peanuts and peanut derivatives, so there's no label-checking or substitution stress involved — just straightforward, whole-food cooking. Optional shaved Parmesan and torn fennel fronds on top add a finishing touch that looks like something out of a restaurant but comes together in your own kitchen with minimal effort. This one works equally well as a light lunch, a dinner party starter, or a vibrant side alongside grilled fish or roasted chicken.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
- 3 medium navel oranges
- ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly torn
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice (from one of the segmented oranges)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fennel fronds, roughly torn (optional)
- 1 oz shaved parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Trim the fennel bulbs: cut off the stalks and any tough outer layers, then halve each bulb through the root. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, shave the fennel crosswise into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Place in a large bowl of ice water and let stand for 10 minutes, until the slices curl slightly and crisp up. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- 2
Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut the top and bottom off each orange, then stand each orange upright and slice away the peel and white pith from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit. Hold the peeled orange over the bowl and cut between the membranes to release the segments, letting them fall into the bowl. Squeeze the spent membranes over the bowl to extract the juice, then measure out 2 tbsp of the juice for the dressing.
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