I love hearty and healthy salad recipes, including summery grilled chicken salad, creamy and decadent lobster salad or crab salad, hearty couscous salad, and this simple, but totally satisfying fennel salad. In my opinion, fennel is an underrated vegetable. It’s delicious when eaten raw in a fennel salad, and is absolutely magical when roasted to caramelized perfection in the oven. My fennel and apple salad comes together in just minutes, and is sure to be a hit.
Fennel Salad Ingredients
The primary ingredients in this salad include arugula, fennel, apples, celery, candied pecans and fennel fronds. The dressing for this shaved fennel salad recipe is a simple blend of extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, honey, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
How Do You Make Fennel Salad?
Start by cutting your fennel bulb and apples into very thin slices. Place the fennel and apples in a bowl with arugula, celery and candied pecans. For the dressing, place minced shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey in a bowl. Whisk until everything is well incorporated. Pour the dressing into the bowl with the fennel mixture, then toss to combine. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds if desired, and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
I use a mandoline to cut my fennel into very thin slices. You can also use a sharp knife, but it’s much quicker and more precise with the mandoline. You can use any type of apples you like. I typically go for Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, but other great options include Fuji, Braeburn or Gala. I really like the sweetness that the candied pecans add to the salad. If you can’t find candied pecans, regular toasted pecans will work just fine. You can also make your own candied pecans. I like to garnish the salad with fennel fronds for an extra kick of fennel flavor, but you can skip this step if you prefer. Serve your salad alongside main course options such as Italian wedding soup, cheeseburger pie, chicken Vesuvio, pan seared chicken breast or chicken primavera.
Fennel salad flavor variations
This salad is great as-is, but you can easily add other ingredients to make your own creation.
Greens: Swap out the arugula for kale, mixed greens or baby spinach. Protein: Make it a main course by adding white beans, grilled chicken or cooked crumbled bacon. Vegetables: Amp up the veggies with sliced red onion, avocado or cucumber. Nuts: Skip the pecans and go for toasted pine nuts or walnuts instead. Cheese: Feel free to add some cheese such as crumbled goat cheese, blue cheese or feta. Fruit: Instead of apples, try pears, oranges, pomegranate seeds or even dried cranberries. Dressing: No red wine vinegar on hand? Lemon juice is also a great option. You can even add a little fresh lemon zest for extra flavor. You can also add fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley or fresh mint.
I love this fennel salad recipe because it’s a little different than what most people are used to, but is full of fresh flavors. Serve it as an appetizer, or an accompaniment to roasted chicken or seafood.
