Pork Free Fennel-Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and built entirely from produce, citrus, and good olive oil, this salad is the kind of dish that looks stunning on a platter and tastes even better than it looks. Shaving the fennel thin and soaking it in ice water is the move that makes everything work — those delicate curls turn crisp and mild, losing any harsh edge and becoming the perfect canvas for sweet orange segments and briny Castelvetrano olives. The dressing comes together in seconds, whisking fresh orange juice, lemon, honey, and a pinch of red pepper flakes into something tangy, slightly sweet, and just a little fiery. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of pork and pork-derived products, so there's no label-reading stress or ingredient swaps required — just clean, whole foods doing all the heavy lifting. The optional shaved Parmesan adds a salty, savory finish that ties the whole bowl together, though the salad holds its own beautifully without it. This is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your rotation, whether you're serving it alongside grilled fish, bringing it to a dinner party, or just eating it straight off the platter before it even makes it to the table.
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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)
Can be omittedshaved parmesan
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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