This fennel salad is a classic combination – thinly shaved fennel, lemon dressing and shaved parmesan. A fennel recipe that’s quick to make, it’s beautifully refreshing and presents elegantly. It’s the sort of salad you’ll find on the menu of fine dining restaurants!
Fennel Salad
Fennel is so refreshing, I love it raw. Shaving it is a great way to use it in salads because it really tones down the aniseed flavour that many people find off-putting about fennel.
In fact, I’ve served shaved fennel salads to quite a few people who aren’t a fan of fennel and they all loved it!
This fennel salad is a classic combination of flavours that’s an outright copy of salads I’ve had at fine dining restaurants and good bistros. The fresh, softly crunchy shaved fennel pairs beautifully with a fresh lemon dressing. Then a bit of parmesan to give it a special finishing touch and add an extra edge of flavour.
Plus, it presents really nicely in this “carpaccio” style. Very post restauranty! 😂
What you need
And here’s what you need. While we don’t use the stems of the fennel, we do use the fronds! A little sprinkle on the salad to use as the garnish, and also to add subtle extra hint of fresh fennel flavour!
How to make it
And here’s how to make it. It literally takes minutes to make if you have a mandolin to finely shave the fennel!
What fennel salad goes with
This is a great salad to have on the side of rich meat heavy meals like roasts because it is so refreshing. It’s a particularly good pairing with pork and poultry – here are some dishes that I like to serve it with:
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Fennel Salad with Lemon Dressing and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 medium fennel , or 2 baby fennels
- 1/2 red onion , shaved or finely sliced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , separated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated
Instructions
- Cut stalks off fennel (save fronds). Shave the fennel and onion using a mandolin, or slice finely.
- Place in a bowl. Add lemon juice and 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss.
- Spread out on a plate "carpaccio" style. Drizzle with more olive oil, top with freshly grated parmesan then sprinkle with fennel fronds.
- Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
- Serve immediately after dressing as the dressing draws out a lot of liquid from the fennel quite quickly.
- You only need 1 medium size fennel to serve 4 as a side salad. You’ll be surprised how far it goes once shaved!
- Fennel salad is a wonderful refreshing salad that pairs exceptionally well with pork and poultry. Some suggestions: roast pork, whole roast chicken, herb baked chicken with gravy.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2014, updated January 2019.
Life of Dozer
Paralysed with indecision!
Interesting flavor combo!
Thanks Chelsey!