Seed Oil Free Fennel-Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and built entirely around whole, clean ingredients, this fennel and orange salad is the kind of dish that looks like it came from a restaurant but comes together with almost no effort. The dressing is whisked together with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh citrus juice, and a touch of honey — nothing processed, nothing refined, and absolutely no industrial seed oils hiding in the mix. That matters more than people realize, since bottled dressings are one of the sneakiest sources of canola, soybean, or sunflower oil in an otherwise clean meal. Here, you control every drop of fat that goes into the bowl. The technique of soaking shaved fennel in ice water is a small step that pays off big, giving you delicate, curled slices with a satisfying crunch that holds up beautifully against the juicy orange segments and buttery Castelvetrano olives. A scatter of fresh parsley, torn fennel fronds, and optional shaved Parmesan finishes the whole thing with an herby, savory edge. It's the kind of salad that converts people who think they don't like fennel.
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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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