Shellfish Free Fennel-Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and built entirely from produce, citrus, and good olive oil, this salad is a showstopper that comes together with nothing more than a sharp knife and a little patience. Shaving the fennel thin and soaking it in ice water is the move that transforms it from sharp and fibrous into something delicate and almost sweet — a small step that makes a big difference. Juicy navel orange segments bring a burst of sunshine to every bite, while briny Castelvetrano olives and paper-thin red onion add just enough edge to keep things interesting. The dressing is whisked together from the same orange juice you squeeze right off the spent membranes, so nothing goes to waste and the flavors stay perfectly cohesive. A honey-and-red-pepper-flake balance gives it a gentle warmth without any heat that overpowers the fresh ingredients. Finished with torn parsley, wispy fennel fronds, and optional shaved Parmesan, this is the kind of salad that looks like it came from a restaurant but asks very little of you at home. It's naturally free of any seafood concerns, so every single ingredient here is exactly what it appears to be — clean, simple, and genuinely delicious.
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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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