Enjoy the light and refreshing flavors of fennel, apple, and celery in this crisp and crunchy winter salad.
Following a month of indulgence I often find myself naturally craving a bit more freshness on my plate. Something lively, with clean flavors to reset my taste buds and brighten the dull winter days still ahead of us. Because, let’s face it, once you’ve had your share of sweets, treats and holiday feasts, it’s time for something different. That’s where this apple fennel salad comes in.
Fennel and apple are such wonderful partners and offer a welcome respite from the heavier foods of late. Crispy, crunchy and light, they combine to create a winter-time salad that brings a little cheer to a dulled post-holiday palate while still feeling hearty enough for the season.
It’s loaded with sweet/tart flavors and lots of refreshingly crisp ingredients that on their own don’t sound particularly exciting but together their sum is much greater than the parts. Fennel, apple and celery work together to create a light and refreshing crispness to the salad while still providing a satisfying crunch. It’s a wonderful cool-weather salad that’s a welcome addition to any winter meal. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Fennel - Use1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs.
- Apple – I like a tart green apple like a Granny Smith best here but use any crisp apple you’d like.
- Celery – You’ll need a few stalks of celery, thinly sliced.
- Fresh Herbs – I like a combination of flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint leaves.
- Nuts - Toasted walnuts work well but feel free to use toasted almonds.
- Lemon Vinaigrette – You’ll need olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and Dijon mustard to make the homemade lemon vinaigrette.
How to Make an Apple Fennel Salad:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Paper thin slices of apples, fennel and celery are at the base of this winter salad.
- You’ll start by thinly shaving the fennel, apple and celery on a mandolin.
- Next you’ll chop up some of the fennel fronds, celery leaves, parsley and mint and toss them in a large bowl along with the fennel, apple and celery.
- The dressing is a simple one made with lots of lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and extra-virgin olive oil for a fruity and peppery bite.
- A handful of chopped toasted walnuts rounds out the salad and brings a nutty finish to the flavor fest.
It might almost make you forget how many weeks of winter still remain.
More Winter Salad Recipes:
Apple Fennel Salad
Slight tart apples, shaved paper thin are combined with fennel and celery in this light and refreshing salad.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- The zest of ½ a lemon
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4-5 celery stalks, sliced paper-thin on a mandolin follow(reserve a handful of celery leaves for salad)
- 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, sliced paper-thin on a mandolin (reserve a handful of fennel fronds for salad)
- 1 large green apple sliced paper-thin on a mandolin
- ½ cup roughly torn flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup roughly torn fresh mint leaves
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup/28g chopped walnuts, toasted in a 350F oven for 5 minutes or until golden and fragrant.
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard and sea salt.
- Add celery, celery leaves, fennel, fennel fronds, apple, parsley and mint to bowl and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with pepper, top with toasted walnuts and serve.
Notes
Dietary Info:
Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Jackie @ marin mama cooks says
This dish is simply beautiful and so fresh and clean looking. I just used fennel for the first time in a pasta dish and found it's so easy to cook with and it added a nice balance and crunch to my pasta dish without overpowering it.
Dominique (De vous à moi...) says
Beaucoup de fraicheur dans le plat, de la douceur dans les photos, une parfaite façon de commencer l'année!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
this sounds so refreshing and looks beautiful!
Kitchen Belleicious says
all joking aside can you come move by me so you can all my pictures for me? This salad looks crispy, healthy, flavorful and perfect fro me any day of the week
Sylvie says
Hmm, how about you move out here, I kinda like the weather where I am. 😉
Anamika says
Really a welcome salad of mild flavours after the festive over indulgence...lovely pics, as always!!
Katrina @In Katrina's Kitchen says
I really love fennel. You make it look prettier than when it is in the crisper of my refrigerator rhough!
Rosa says
A fabulous and healthy dish! Fennel is such a refined tasting vegetable. I really love using it in diverse ways, and especially for making salad.
Gorgeous photos, as usual!
Cheers,
Rosa
leaf (the indolent cook) says
Such a light, pretty salad. I really should use fennel more often.
Jehanne@thecookingdoctor says
What a coincidence, just had some apple salad today sans fennel though, now ur inviting pic is making me try out fennel for next time, gorgeous!
Kulsum at JourneyKitchen says
Exactly the kind of things I want to eat these days. Beautiful, crisp and clean flavors! I also like that you use slightly tart apples, I always want that in a salad.
P.S. I absolutely adore that green on green fennel picture <3