This week we’re pulling together a spring fish dinner, and the first part is a beautiful, easy, 4-ingredient Lemon Fennel Slaw. Fennel is a vegetable you couldn’t have gotten me near 10 years ago, but it’s one I love now. This slaw is easy way to get introduced to fennel. A lot of people are put off by the thought it will taste like black licorice, and although there are some hits of anise, it the fennel is fresh and the fronds are bright green, you’ll be surprised at how fresh and spring-like it tastes.
Fennel is fairly easy to work with. Make sure the fronds are bright green when you buy it and the bulb doesn’t look like someone used it to play soccer. When you cut it in half you can easily take the stalks off the top and see the core in the center. Remove the core and then thinly slice using a knife or mandolin. (I know a mandolin can be scary, but with a good guard it makes quick work of the fennel and turns it into the perfect consistency for a light slaw!)
Let it sit for 5 minutes, trust me
Combining the ingredients in a bowl and letting them sit for five minutes is key here. At that point, taste it and add some additional salt if needed. The lemon juice and zest keep this slaw bright and make it a perfect pair with fish.
The fronds have tones of flavor and add some additional brightness to the salad. They look a lot like dill, but have that slight anise flavor to them. Pull off some of the best looking pieces and chop roughly before adding to the salad.
Fennel may not be your thing, but I encourage you to try this Lemon Fennel Slaw with an open mind. You might find you add a new vegetable to your list!
Lemon Fennel Slaw
Ingredients
- 1 Fennel Bulb with fronds
- 1 Lemon
- ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Separate the fronds and stalks from the fennel bulb, cut in half and remove the core
- Thinly slice the fennel using a mandolin or sharp knife and add to a large bowl
- Pull some of the fronds and roughly chop the soft leafy part and add to the fennel
- Zest lemon and add to the bowl, then cut lemon in half and juice half the lemon into the bowl
- Add the olive oil and salt and toss, let stand for 5 minutes and then taste and adjust salt as needed
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