Whip up this shaved fennel salad that is full of crisp fennel, arugula, sweet apples, orange, parmesan curls, and a crunch of walnuts. This is a fresh and delicious fennel salad you have to try soon.
The homemade dressing throws this salad to a whole new level, it is bursting with sweet and tangy flavor that compliments the entire salad.
Also, I have a few more salad ideas for you to try out. Check out this nice list of summer salads, roasted fennel and beets salad, fennel and cabbage slaw, or even this list of vegetarian salads.
This Shaved Fennel Salad Is...
- Made with Fresh Ingredients
- Crisp and Refreshing
- Easy to Make
- Colorful
- Sweet and Tangy
How to Make Shaved Fennel Salad
Full steps on how to make this shaved fennel salad are in the printable recipe card below. This is a quick walk through on how it is made.
- Start by placing the arugula on a large platter.
- Next place the thin fennel slices, apples, and oranges on top.
- Sprinkle on the walnuts and the parmesan.
- Next whip up the dressing by adding all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
- Pour dressing over salad right before serving.
Helpful Tips For Success
Mandolin Slicer
You can buy a mandolin slicer to thinly shave your fennel, it works wonderfully. Plus it is so easy to use, and you might find it becomes a favorite kitchen tool.
Dressing Right Before Serving
Do not pour the dressing over the salad until right before you are serving. Otherwise it will sog up the arugula and break down the fruit.
Platter
I love using a large platter to spread the salad out instead of making it all piled in a bowl. It allows guests to get a little of everything on their plate.
Variations to Fennel Salad
Grapefruit
Skip the orange and add in sliced grapefruit instead. This will give a great flavor pairing that is a bit more tart.
Seeds
Instead of walnuts swap with some pecans or even pepitas for a different crunch factor.
Feta Cheese
Swap the parmesan with feta cheese crumbles. They will both offer a tangy and creamy component and great interchanged for this salad.
Vegan Friendly
Leave off the cheese to create a vegan friendly salad. This makes for a great lunch or dinner that will be light and refreshing.
Shaved Fennel Salad FAQs
What does fennel taste like?
Fennel has a light anise or black licorice flavor. Now, depending on how you cook it or serve it raw, the flavor will alter a bit. Most of the time fennel is served in a salad or sauted or added into a soup or stew.
How do you slice fennel for a salad?
Start by washing and then cutting off the end where the root would be. Then peel off any layers that are a bit tough. Then you will slice down the center of the fennel. Then use your mandoline to began slicing in very thin strips.
What goes well with fennel salad?
Salmon and chicken are both great proteins to pair with your fennel salad. I love them both but feel free to try out whichever one you want.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 large apple
- 1 medium orange
- ½ cup parmesan curls
- ¼ cup walnuts
For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the arugula on a large platter and set aside
- Use a mandolin to slice the fennel thin, then slice the apple and orange into thin slices using a knife
- Place the fennel, apple, orange, parmesan and walnut on top of the arugula and set aside
- Prepare the dressing but whisking together the olive oil, orange juice, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, parsley, salt and pepper until smooth
- Pour dressing over the salad right before serving
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