Nitrate & Nitrite Free Ginger-Lime Fennel & Orange Salad
Bright, refreshing, and built entirely from whole, unprocessed ingredients, this fennel and orange salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you're eating at a sun-drenched Mediterranean bistro. Shaved fennel brings a delicate anise crunch, juicy navel orange segments add natural sweetness, and a ginger-lime dressing ties everything together with a zippy, aromatic kick. Because every single component here is fresh and unprocessed — no cured meats, no packaged dressings, no preserved anything — it's naturally free of the additives that sneak into so many store-bought salads and bottled condiments. The dressing is whisked together from scratch using lime juice, lime zest, raw honey, fresh ginger, and olive oil, so you know exactly what's going in. Torn mint, red onion, and optional cilantro layer in even more freshness without a single ingredient that raises concern. It's an elegant starter or a light main that proves eating clean doesn't mean sacrificing flavor — this one is genuinely stunning on a platter.
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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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