Add a burst of flavor to your meals with a refreshing fennel orange salad. With a sweet and salty combination of fennel, citrus and olives, it’s a perfect addition to any Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Just when you’ve had about enough of winter’s meager offerings in the fruit department, in comes citrus, like a much needed ray of sunshine. If it wasn’t for citrus fruit, winter produce would be rather drab and dull, but thankfully oranges are beginning to hit their prime with more varieties on the way.
Beyond the standard navel orange are cara caras and blood oranges. Besides their beautiful inside hue, cara cara’s and blood oranges have a distinctive flavor that’s sweeter and less acidic than ordinary navels with overtones of red berries. They are my favorites for eating out of hand but also shine in more savory dishes like this fennel orange and olive salad.
Your initial reaction might be one of doubt (really? oranges and olives?), yet this sweet and salty combination is a classic throughout the Mediterranean where it shows up frequently in Sicilian cuisine. It’s a lovely little salad, quite elegant both in presentation and taste; a colorful and mouth-watering mix of flavors.
While it may initially sound unusual, the combination of sweet/tart oranges and fruity/salty olives is one that’s both bright and refreshing. In its simplest form all you need are oranges, olives, olive oil (the best you can get your hands on) and a generous pinch of sea salt, but adding a few extra touches like super crisp slices of fennel and buttery mâche lettuce leaves make for a more substantial salad while remaining refreshingly light on the palate. 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.)
- Citrus – I like a combination of blood oranges, car acara oranges and tangerines but feel free to use your favorite citrus fruits. You’ll also need some of the juice for the dressing.
- Lettuce – I’ve chosen tender mache lettuce but you could also use spinach or arugula.
- Mint - Mint leaves bring a bit of freshness that pairs well with the citrus.
- Fennel – You’ll need a small fennel bulb, thinly sliced crosswise with a few fronds for garnish.
- Olives – I like a mix of intensely flavored and wrinkly salt cured black olives and briny and buttery green castelvetrano olives best but you can use any combination of olives you’d like.
- Olive Oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Fennel Seeds – A few fennel seeds gently crushed with a mortar and pestle adds a nice licorice undernote but feel free to leave it out if you’d prefer.
- Orange Blossom Water (optional) – If you happen to have some orange blossom water (I always have a bottle in the fridge, it lasts forever and gives such a nice floral taste to so many dishes), a few drops really makes the dressing shine.
- Pistachios – A handful of chopped roasted pistachios adds a nice toasty crunch.
How to Make a Fennel Orange 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.)
- Using a sharp knife you’ll start by cutting away the peel and pith from the citrus fruit then cutting them crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Next place the lettuce, mint leaves and shaved fennel on a large platter and tuck in the orange slices and olives.
- Now whisk together citrus juice, olive oil, salt, fennel seeds and orange blossom water if using. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and top with chopped pistachios and a few fennel fronds.
With its sweet and salty flavors, and bright fresh flavors this is a winter salad to brighten the dreariest of days.
More Salads with Fruit:
Orange Fennel Salad
This colorful Sicilian inspired fennel orange olive salad features a refreshing combination of juicy citrus, crisp fennel and salty olives.
Ingredients
- 2 small blood oranges
- 2 small cara cara oranges
- 2 small tangerines
- 3oz/85g mache lettuce
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, stems removed
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced crosswise (reserve fronds for garnish)
- 8 black salt cured olives
- 8 green castelvetrano olives
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml of mixed citrus juice
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml best quality extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛th teaspoon fennel seeds, gently crushed with a mortar and pestle
- ⅛th teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons/14g roasted and shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife cut a thin slice off top and bottom end of the fruit. Stand upright on a cutting board. Working from the top to the bottom, cut away the peel and pith following the contour of the fruit. Repeat with remaining fruit, and then cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Place mache lettuce, mint leaves and fennel on a large platter and tuck in orange slices and olives.
- Whisk together citrus juice, olive oil, salt, fennel seeds and orange blossom water if using. Drizzle salad with dressing and top with chopped pistachios and reserved fennel fronds. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
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: 224Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1384mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 5gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
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.
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this is a STUNNING salad!! I have never tried citrus in my salads, it is high time!