This Orange and Fennel Salad is my take on a seasonal classic hailing from Sicily. A late winter salad that is generally made with blood oranges, it’s not just healthy and super simple to make: it’s truly stunning.
When you are using orange zest in a recipe like this cake, it’s very important to use organic oranges. You are welcome to use them here, too, but because this salad features peeled oranges, I think it’s okay to use conventional varieties.
I chose a combination of non-organic Moro and Cara Cara oranges that are sold under the Sunkist label.
The Moros are a lovely dark red, and the Cara Caras are deeply orange. Both are super high in immune-boosting anti-oxidants and are available in markets where I live here in New York. They are very reasonably priced and delicious, so if you see them, I suggest buying them at once! If you can’t find any suitable specialty oranges, you can go ahead and use navel oranges, though.
My oranges were small-medium sized, so I used three, but you might only need two if your oranges are very large. I did not happen to have any on hand, but I think adding some arugula or a little minced red onion or shallot to this salad would be nice…
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This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays over at Kelly the Kitchen Kop; it is also linked to Simply Sugar and Gluten Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday!
Orange and Fennel Salad
Ingredients
- *1/2 large fennel bulb trimmed, peeled and very thinly sliced
- *3 oranges
- *3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- *1 tablespoon olive oil
- *juice from 1/2 lemon or Meyer lemon
- *coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Using a very sharp knife, peel the oranges. Make sure to remove all of the pith. Cut the oranges into cross-wise slices and then cut each slice in half. Remove and discard any seeds.
- 2. Arrange the fennel and orange on a serving plate and scatter the parsley on top. Drizzle with the olive oil and the lemon juice, and season with the salt and pepper.
