Carrageenan Free Ginger-Lime Fennel & Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and built entirely from whole ingredients, this fennel and orange salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you're eating at a sun-drenched Mediterranean café. Shaved fennel brings a delicate crunch and subtle anise flavor that pairs beautifully with juicy orange segments, while fresh mint and a zippy ginger-lime dressing tie everything together with a little heat and brightness. The dressing is whisked together from scratch — lime juice, lime zest, raw honey, grated ginger, and extra-virgin olive oil — so there's nothing processed or hidden in the mix. That matters a lot when you're avoiding carrageenan, a thickener and stabilizer that sneaks into a surprising number of bottled dressings, dairy products, and packaged foods. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of it, no label-reading required. The technique of supreming the oranges directly over the bowl means none of that sweet citrus juice goes to waste, and it makes the whole salad feel a little more polished than your average weeknight side. Scatter the reserved fennel fronds and some fresh cilantro over the top before serving and it looks as good as it tastes.
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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
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp raw honey
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Trim the fennel bulbs: cut off the stalks and reserve a small handful of the feathery fronds. Halve each bulb through the root, then use a mandoline or a sharp knife to shave each half crosswise into very thin slices, about 1/16 inch thick. Place the shaved fennel in a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Cut the top and bottom off each orange, then stand each orange upright and slice away the peel and white pith following the curve of the fruit. Working over the bowl of fennel to catch any juice, cut between the membranes to release the segments. Squeeze the spent membranes over the bowl to extract any remaining juice, then discard the membranes.
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