Sweet citrus paired with the aniseed flavours of fennel makes this salad fresh, vibrant and full of flavour. Packed with healthy ingredients and quick to prepare, this orange and fennel salad recipe is a great go-to side dish.
Let us show you how to whip it up.
This raw fennel orange salad recipe is perfect all year round, making a great winter salad. Adding some much needed vitamin C during those winter months! Fennel orange salad is packed with such wonderful flavours.
With its origins in Italy, this Sicilian fennel salad will pair well served with a bbq, roast pork, chicken or fish. We love serving it as a side salad with baked salmon. Seriously delicious!
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Ingredients
Fresh salad ingredients:
- Fresh fennel bulb - with fennel fronds removed.
- Red onion
- Italian ( or flat - leaf) parsley
- Fresh dill
Citrus salad dressing :
- Oranges - the type of orange available at your local grocery store may depend on the citrus season. Sweet oranges like delicious cara cara oranges or classic navel oranges would work well. Blood oranges look great with this dish as well.
- Fresh chives
- Olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil).
- A pinch of salt and black pepper.
See full recipe card below for quantities.
How to segment an orange
The aim here is to separate the sweet orange segments from the membrane.
This can be done in a few simple steps:
- Use a small sharp knife to cut the top and bottom off the orange. This will let the orange sit flat on the chopping board.
- Place the orange flat on the surface and use the knife to cut off the outer orange peel from top to bottom. This will remove the peel, white pith and layer of membrane around the oranges.
- Hold the orange in your hand and carefully cut between the membrane and orange to the centre, on both sides, as close to the membrane as possible. Slide the cut orange segment into a small bowl and continue around the rest of the orange.
A tip from the chef - A paring knife or a small serrated knife work well for segmenting oranges, as they are smaller to handle for precious cuts.
How to prepare a fennel
To create shaved fennel you will need a very sharp knife and secure cutting board.
Start by cutting off the green fronds, then slice the fennel bulb in half-length ways.
Cut out the core and root at the end, creating a wedge shape.
Place the fennel flat side down and carefully cut thin slices.
(You can also use a mandolin if you have one, just protect those fingers!).
Step by step instructions.
Prep the salad ingredients and make the citrus dressing.
Add all the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Then pour over the dressing and combine well.
Serve in a salad bowl.
Pro chef tip: Sharp knives are important for prepping the fennel and oranges. So give your knives a good sharpening first.
Serving suggestions
Orange and fennel salad will work amazingly with fish and seafood dishes. Like our baked salmon or fennel and lemon fish marinade.
Fennel and pork are a classic flavour pairing and this salad would be amazing with slow cooked pork shoulder or our flavoursome bbq Asian pork dish!
This versatile dish works great at a casual family barbecue, special occasion or dinner party.
Storage
A great salad for prepping ahead, this can be done the day before. Just prepare the salad ingredients and the dressing. And store them separately in an airtight container in the fridge till required.
Simply dress the salad prior to serving. Once dressed we recommend enjoying straight away.
Any leftover salad can be stored overnight sealed in the fridge. But it will lose some of its crunchy texture and start to soften, it's a personal choice but we prefer it fresh.
Variations
Next time you make this fennel citrus salad you could add some additional wonderful flavors with pomegranate arils, sliced fresh celery or switch the orange dressing with a lemon vinaigrette
A simple salad recipe, this flavourful dish is true Italian cuisine. Simple fresh produce, tangy oranges with crunchy fennel and crisp red onion dressed with a herby orange vinaigrette, producing the perfect side dish.
Did you try this dish? Please leave a rating and review below. And if you have any questions about the recipe, you can ask us in the comment section below too.
Happy cooking!
Recipe
Orange and fennel salad
Ingredients
Citrus dressing:
- 2 Oranges
- 5 g Chives (1 tsp) finely chopped
- 50 ml Olive oil (1.7 fl oz)
- Pinch Salt and pepper
Salad ingredients:
- 1 Fennel bulb
- ¼ Red onion
- 5 g Italian parsley (1 tsp)
- 5 g Fresh Dill (1 tsp)
Instructions
For the dressing:
- Using a sharp knife, slice the skin off the oranges and segment the oranges, place the segments into a bowl. (See note 1)
- Squeeze any remaining juice from the oranges into the bowl. Add the olive oil, chopped chives and salt and pepper to the orange segments and mix through.
For the salad:
- Cut the fennel bulb in half and slice thinly (use a mandolin if you have one).
- Thinly slice the red onion and add to the fennel.
- Pick the parsley and dill leaves, add to the salad.
Dress the salad:
- Pour the orange dressing over the salad and combine.
- Serve and enjoy.
Janessa says
This salad was so fresh and was the perfect pairing for our grilled chicken for dinner tonight.
Chenée says
This salad was even better than one of my favorite salads at a lunch place near me! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Anjali says
This was the perfect side salad for my lunch today!! It was refreshing, light and super tasty!
Katherine says
I love the flavors in this zingy, healthy salad!
Rachna says
This orange and fennel salad with dill was absolutely delicious and so fresh. It also looked bright and colorful. Definitely making it again.