I recently had a fennel orange salad at a restaurant, and while I was delighted to see it on the menu, it ended up kind of meh. It was just fennel, a scant orange slice or two, and some olive oil and vinegar. I love fennel salads and citrus in salads, so I knew I could do better and create the salad of my dreams.
And this version does not disappoint. Shaved fennel, sweet and juicy oranges, and a ridiculously good spiced-citrus vinaigrette pair beautifully together and are finished with fresh mint and buttery pistachios.
It’s refreshing and light yet flavor-packed, addictively juicy and sweet, and the perfect salad to make for guests, a celebratory meal, or whenever you’re in the mood for a really fantastic salad.
Table of contents
1. Why you’ll love this fennel orange salad
2. Ingredient notes
3. How to slice fennel
4. Step by step instructions
5. Tips for making this recipe
6. Frequently asked questions
7. Recipe card with notes
Why you’ll love this fennel orange salad
Salad, reinvigorated
Winter is probably not the season you associate with salad, and if we’re talking a light garden salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, I would agree 100%.
But there are so many vegetables in season during cooler months that make a fantastic base for salads. Like fennel, possibly my favorite underrated vegetable.
Here, fennel is thinly shaved or sliced and paired with so many fun ingredients that you’ll forget you’re even eating salad. Think juicy oranges, mint, pistachios, and a spice-infused vinaigrette.
This is definitely the kind of salad to serve to folks who think salad is boring!
And if you want more than a dozen recipes that will make you fall in love with salads, there’s a whole chapter devoted to Big Personality Salads in my cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor!
The vinaigrette to win all vinaigrettes
This spice-infused citrus vinaigrette is easily one of my favorite vinaigrettes of all time, and for good reason.
It starts with a technique from Indian cooking: the tadka, or toasting spices in hot oil to bring out their fat-soluble flavors.
I use a mix of cumin seeds (for an earthy, warming contrast to the citrus), coriander seeds (to enhance the citrusy vibes), and fennel seeds (to accent the fresh fennel). They’re briefly toasted in olive oil until fragrant, then the spiced oil is poured over a mixture of grated garlic, orange zest, lemon zest, and chili flakes.
The hot oil “cooks” the garlic and intensifies the flavors of the fat-soluble chili flakes and aromatic citrus zest. Then it’s finished with lemon juice and Dijon mustard for tang and a touch of maple syrup to round out the flavors.
It takes a few extra minutes than your standard vinaigrette, but once you taste the flavor, you’ll experience the magic!
Ingredient Notes
Fresh Fennel
Fennel is in season at most American supermarkets year round, but is best in cooler months, like winter, spring, and fall.
Some folks don’t love the flavor of fresh fennel, but the tangy citrus vinaigrette and sweet oranges really mellow out the anise flavor, so don’t let that dissuade you from making this salad!
For video instructions and tips on how to prep/slice fennel, see the “How to Slice Fennel” section.
Navel and/or Cara Cara oranges
Similarly, you can find oranges year round, but they are typically best in winter and early spring.
A fennel-orange salad is a pretty classic dish, so feel free to keep things traditional with navel oranges. If you want to turn things up a notch, though, use a combination of navel oranges and Cara Cara oranges.
Cara Cara oranges have a distinct pink flesh thanks to lycopene, an antioxidant that lends its color to pink grapefruit and tomatoes. They’re slightly sweeter than navel oranges with a more complex sweet-tart flavor reminiscent of berries.
Substitute: Any orange variety or citrus fruit works. Peeling and segmenting oranges takes a few minutes, so to save time, feel free to use easy-to-peel oranges like mandarins, tangerines, or sumo citrus.
Cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds
One of the things that sets this salad apart is the spiced vinaigrette. Cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds are briefly bloomed in olive oil to bring out their volatile oils and deep flavors, then paired with the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients.
Shortcut: If you want to save a few extra minutes on prep, skip toasting the whole spices. See the Tips section for alternative details.
Citrus Zest
The vinaigrette gets further jazzed up with a combination of lemon zest and orange zest (from one of the oranges that goes into the salad). The lemon zest adds a zippy brightness and the orange zest brings sweet floral notes.
Tip: A microplane is best for zesting citrus, as it gets only the thin aromatic peel, not the bitter white pith underneath the peel. Click here for more of my recommended kitchen equipment.
Mint and Pistachios
If you regularly make any of my salad recipes here or from my cookbook, you already know I am liberal with the use of fresh herbs in my salads. They add pep, vibrancy, freshness, and dimension.
Same thing goes for nuts, which add richness and crunch. And they make salads more satiating.
Substitutes: I love the way mint complements the cooling nature of fennel, but flat-leat parsley or dill would work too. Don’t have pistachios? Use roasted almonds. Nut allergy? You can try pepitas or omit them entirely.
How to slice fennel
Fennel can be intimidating to prepare if you’re new to it. But it’s simpler than you think! Check out this short instructional video on how to prep fennel.
How to Prepare Fennel
And if you have a mandoline, use that to prep fennel. It will help you get very thin and even slices, which are ideal for a raw salad. It’ll also speed up the prep work a bit.
Depending on the model you have, a 2.5mm thickness works well (that’s the second setting on the handheld OXO mandoline slicer I have).
If you don’t have a mandoline, simply use your sharpest chef’s knife and slice as thinly as you can.
Step-by-step instructions
Zest one of the oranges.
Remove the peels from the oranges, then slice into segments or chop into bite-sized pieces. Season oranges with a pinch of salt/pepper.
In a bowl, combine the orange zest, lemon zest, grated garlic, and chili flakes.
Heat the olive oil in your smallest saucepan over medium heat, then Add the crushed coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds.
Pour the hot infused spiced oil over the garlic-citrus zest mixture, allow to sizzle, and rest 1 minute.
Whisk in the remaining vinaigrette ingredients: lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt/pepper.
Slice the fennel bulbs in half lengthwise, discarding the stalks. Peel the first layer of the fennel with a vegetable peeler. Pick off the fronds and save for garnish.
Use a mandoline or sharp chef’s knife, slice the fennel crosswise as thinly as you can. Sprinkle the fennel with salt and pepper.
Assemble: In a large bowl, combine the fennel, oranges, and vinaigrette. Gently toss to coat.
Tear or chop the fennel fronds and add to the salad with the pistachios. Gently toss again.
Tips for making this recipe
Take shortcuts if needed
The first time I made this salad, it took 35 minutes to make. If you need to speed things up, I have two recommendations:
Use easy-to-peel oranges. While I love love love this salad with Cara Cara oranges, I’m sure it would also be great with easier-to-peel mandarins, tangerines, or sumo citrus. For smaller citrus like mandarins, use 6 to 8, depending on size. For larger citrus like sumo citrus, use 1 ½ or 2.
Simplify the vinaigrette. Instead of toasting the whole spices in oil, simply add ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon ground coriander to the other vinaigrette ingredients, including the olive oil. Whisk to combine. Taste, adding more of either spice as desired.
Serve immediately, or don’t dress all the salad
Once dressed, a fennel salad should be eaten soon, as the fennel will wilt underneath the dressing and get soggy.
If you don’t plan to eat all of the salad at once, dress only the amount of salad you plan to eat. Store remaining vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Store prepped fennel and oranges in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When assembling leftovers, garnish with fresh mint.
If you want to meal prep this salad, slice the fennel and oranges 1 to 2 days ahead of time and store in separate containers in the fridge. Make the dressing and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Variations
While I always encourage folks to make a recipe as written the first time around where possible, you can customize this salad in many ways. Here are a few ideas!
Vary the citrus. I like to use a combo of Cara Cara oranges and navel oranges, but use your favorite citrus. For quicker prep, opt for easy-to-peel options like sumo citrus or mandarins. Love grapefruit?
Swap the mint for flat-leaf parsley or dill.
Use roasted almonds or roasted walnuts instead of pistachios. Whichever nut you use, please use roasted nuts or toast them yourself. Roasting nuts improves their texture and brings out their flavor, especially for naturally bitter walnuts.
Have my cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor? On page 115, you’ll find a chart with details on how to roast a variety of nuts and seeds in the oven or on the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out the instructional video in the “How to slice fennel” section.
Try pepitas, but be sure to toast them first for the best flavor.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. After a minute or two, add the seeds and toast for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden brown. Or, add to a rimmed sheet pan and toast in a 350ºF / 175ºC oven for 6 to 8 minutes.
This salad makes a wonderful first course or side dish for so many meals. Try serving it as a starter with my Cauliflower Steaks, Lemon Asparagus Pasta, or Tomato-Fennel Braised Chickpeas (double the fennel, double the fun!).
If you wanted to turn this into a main meal salad, here’s what I’d recommend: (1) fold in either cooked chickpeas or French green lentils and toss with the dressing and fennel before adding the other ingredients; (2) double the amount of pistachios; (3) add in some thinly sliced avocado before serving; (4) serve with crusty bread to round out the meal 🙂
This salad is best fresh, as the fennel will get soggy once dressed.
If you don’t plan to eat all of the salad at once, dress only the amount of salad you plan to eat. Store remaining vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Store prepped fennel and oranges in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When assembling leftovers, garnish with fresh mint.
If you loved this refreshing Fennel Orange Salad, please give the recipe a rating and review below! And of course, tag me with your remakes on Instagram!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
This fennel orange salad will make you fall in love with salads! Shaved fennel and juicy oranges are tossed with a spiced-infused citrus vinaigrette, then finished with mint and pistachios. Elegant, refreshing, and full of fun flavors.
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Zest one of the oranges over a small-medium bowl. Remove the peel from all three oranges, then segment the oranges or chop into small pieces Sprinkle the oranges with a pinch of salt and pepper; set aside.
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Prep the Spiced Vinaigrette: To the orange zest, add the lemon zest, garlic, and Aleppo pepper; set aside.
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Lightly crush the coriander seeds by either blitzing once or twice in a spice grinder; using a mortar and pestle; or crushing with the back of a sturdy mug. Add to a small bowl with the cumin seeds and fennel seeds.
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Make the Spiced Vinaigrette: Heat the olive oil in your smallest saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the crushed coriander, cumin, and fennel. Allow to sizzle and swirl the pan frequently to prevent burning. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until spices are a few shades darker and very aromatic. Pour the infused oil over the garlic mixture and allow to sizzle. Stir, then let sit for 1 minute.
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To the infused oil, add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) lemon juice, the maple syrup, and Dijon mustard. Whisk well to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Prep the fennel: Pick off the wispy fronds and set aside for the garnish. Cut off the stalks from the fennel and discardWith the bulbs, shave the first layer off with a vegetable peeler. Slice each bulb in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the bulbs crosswise thinly very thinly, discarding the tough core.
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Assemble: Add the fennel to a large salad bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss with your hands. Add the orange slices to the fennel. Pour on the Spiced Vinaigrette and toss gently to coat (see Note 2). Use your hands to tear the mint and fennel fronds into the salad (or roughly chop them and add). Add the pistachios and toss gently.Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, as needed. For richness, drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving. Serve immediately.
- After trimming the stalks, you should be left with ~ 1 ½ pounds (680g) of fennel bulbs.
- This salad is best served fresh. If you want to keep leftovers, dress only the amount of salad you plan to eat.
Shortcuts
- Use easy to peel oranges, like sumo citrus, mandarins, or tangerines.
- Instead of toasting the whole spices, simply add ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon coriander to the other dressing ingredients, including the olive oil, and whisk to combine. Taste, adding more of either spice as desired.