Fennel salad is good for you! Especially if you're a woman. I include it in my list of
Superfoods.
For these two recipes I have to thank Jamie Oliver and his 30 minutes meals. Don't worry, these salads do not take 30 mins to make! He uses them as part of a whole 30 minute meal. I use them for outdoor food because they keep well, especially the one pictured above with radishes, which the lovely Jamie calls a crunchy salad.
It is crunchy and it is also very pretty because the red from the radishes tends to blur into the salad, giving it, not a purple, but a pink haze!
Most importantly, it is extremely quick and easy to put together, especially if you have a food processor. I find that the following quantities will be enough for a picnic salad for 4, with another salad, a fish or chicken dish, and some nice crusty bread.
Simply trim and quarter a bulb of fennel and trim leaves off a bunch of radishes (10 or 12). Shred both, either with a knife, or in the blink of an eye in a food processor. Tip into a bowl (preferably one with a lid if you have to transport it) and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over it, mixing well to cover. Then add a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch or two of salt and pepper, to taste, and mix again.
Voila! And it tastes good too!
If you don't have any radishes, but you do have a bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, then do this instead:
Shred the fennel (you might need another bulb to feed 4 this time) and then shred or finely slice a whole lemon in the processor too (leaving the fennel in there to get coated with lemon). I think you really need the processor for this one - sorry! Put it all into a bowl and pick out and discard any chunky bits of lemon peel. Stir around a bit.
Chop up the coriander leaves roughly (and finely chop the tops of the stalks too) with a knife. Mix these with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Toss over the fennel and lemon and mix in lightly.
This Moroccan inspired fennel salad goes well with spicy couscous, fish or seafood.
If you want a salad which contains fennel but also more than one or two other ingredients, then try what I believe is
the ultimate picnic salad.
