Light and refreshing, this shaved apple, fennel and celery salad is a crisp and crunchy addition to any meal.
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 celery salad comes in.
Fennel, celery 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. It’s a wonderful cool-weather salad that’s a welcome addition to any winter meal.
How to make a Shaved Apple Fennel Celery Salad:
Paper thin slices of apples, fennel and celery are at the base of this winter salad. Celery, lightly sweet raw fennel and tart green apples are all shaved thinly on a mandolin to create a light and refreshing crispness to the salad while still providing a satisfying crunch. Fresh herbs like parsley, fennel fronds and mint are used generously and roughly torn by hand to wake up those taste buds with some bright flavors.
The dressing is a simple one made with lots of lemon zest, lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil for a fruity and peppery bite. A handful of 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.
Shaved Apple, Fennel and Celery Salad Recipe
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
Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, 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.
(This post originally appeared in January 2012; post, photos and recipe have all been updated.)
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.
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