Orange and Fennel Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette (3).png

Orange and fennel are two glorious winter gifts that pair amazingly together. Fennel is available year round in most places, but the true season is from late fall to early spring while oranges tend to be at their best in mid to late winter, making this the perfect time to combine these two flavours.

Oranges are best known for their vitamin C content, but they offer so much more. They are rich in fiber, folate, and vitamin B1 (thiamin) among other vitamins and minerals. They are immune boosting and offer a good dose of antioxidants to fight free radicals and prevent cell damage. The vitmanic C in oranges is also crucial to the absorption of many vitamins and minerals, namely iron and B12. Oranges are also an excellent source of calcium which supports bone health. It's worth noting that in some parts of the world (like the North America for example) conventional oranges are often treated with Citrus Red #2 to make them brighter and more uniform in colour. This dye was actually banned for use in food as it was found to cause cancer in animals and it's use has been limited to treating oranges for colour. So if you're planning to eat the zest/rind of the fruit, it's best to look for organic or untreated citrus fruits.

Orange and Fennel Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Fennel is a vegetable from the celery family, but it's far more delicious in my opinion. It's sweet and crunchy with a note of licorice. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, and a good source fiber, folate, and potassium. Fennel has been used as a treatment for many ailments including abdominal pains,arthritis, cancer, colic in children (anise tea is a traditional Lebanese remedy for colic in babies), conjunctivitis (eye infections), constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, gastritis, and so much more and studies have shown it to be effective and without any adverse side effects.

In this recipe, we’re using both the crispy fennel and the fronds, the leafy herby greens at the top of the bulb (see picture below) in the dressing.

This salad is refreshing, crisp and sweet with just the right amount of acidity to balance things out, thanks to the light and tangy white balsamic and thyme vinaigrette. It makes a perfect starter or side salad.

Orange & Fennel Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com

Time 10 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Servings 2
Diet vegan, gluten free
Category Salad

Ingredients:

1 Bulb Fresh Fennel
2 Oranges, segments & juice
3-4 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil (leave out for oil free)
1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
1 Tsp Fennel Fronds (the green tops of the fennel bulb)
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt, to taste

Method:

Cut the bottom off the fennel bulb then lay it side ways, hold it firmly, and slice it into thin rounds using a sharp knife (or use a mandolin).
Thoroughly wash and dry the fennel and place the slices in a pile on a serving dish.
Cut out the orange segments. To do this, you will cut off the top and bottom of the orange so that you have two flat surfaces. Place the orange on the cutting board and remove the zest and white pith by running a sharp knife down the sides of the orange, separating them from the pulp, without removing too much of the orange pulp (see picture above). Then, hold the orange in one hand and run the knife along the visible membranes to scoop out the orange segments. You should do this over a bowl to catch the juice.
Arrange the orange segments on top of the fennel.
Whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, thyme and fennel fronds in a small bowl. Add a splash of the orange juice that was released from the oranges into the bowl. Drizzle over your salad, and enjoy.

Note:

Depending on how dressed you like your salad, you may or may not have some dressing leftover. I always have some leftover, it's handy for snacking, like slicing some fennel and dipping it in the vinaigrette, what Italians call, "pinzimonio", but they usually make the dip with olive oil, pepper and salt.
This recipe makes two servings, and is best consumed immediately. You can easily double or triple it to feed a crowd.
I don't recommend prepping this salad too far in advance, but if you're making this for later in the same day, that's more than fine. Just keep the shaved fennel stored in lemon water to keep it crisp and prevent it from browning, the orange segments stored in a separate airtight container and the vinaigrette in it’s own jar with a tight fitting lid until you're ready to use them and don’t mix them all together until you’re ready to serve the salad.
Be sure to strain and dry the fennel well before mixing the salad to prevent water from diluting the falvour of the vinaigrette and pooling at the bottom of the bowl.