Green Salad with Citrus, Fennel, Feta and Almonds
A zippy and refreshing starter to accompany any roast or braise
The crunchy fennel and toasted almonds pair beautifully with the sweet citrus and salty feta, making for a refreshing and bright summer salad that’s easy to throw together. Do not skip soaking the shaved fennel in ice cold water; it keeps it crisp and prevents wilting. Any unused fennel can be kept in the fridge in a container of ice water for up to a week.
Read till the end for the 30 second cooking video!
Serves 4
Cook time: ~ 30 minutes
Kitchen Tools:
- Mandolin
- Measuring spoon
- Small pan, for toasting the almonds
- Microplane or a mortar and pestle for grating/pounding
- Glass jar (for the vinaigrette)
- Salad bowl for serving
- Chef’s knife and cutting board, to slice the vegetables
- Serrated knife, to slice the citrus
Ingredients:
Salad:
Mixed greens, a combination of spinach, arugula, lollo rosso (red leaf lettuce), radicchio, endives or any other greens you have in the fridge. I look for triple washed greens as it saves me time!
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 fennel, washed and thinly sliced with a mandolin, then soaked in bowl of ice water
3 blood oranges, trimmed, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 orange, trimmed, peeled and sliced into rounds
¼ cup feta
3 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a hot pan
Lemon Vinaigrette:
⅓ cup of lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, grated
Instructions:
To make the dressing, grate or pound the 2 garlic cloves to a paste and combine it in a bowl or small glass jar with 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of honey, ⅓ cup lemon juice and zest of a lemon. Add 1 cup of olive oil and whisk or shake until combined, before seasoning to taste. Pour half the dressing into another glass jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
To make the salad, place several large handfuls of greens in a large salad or serving bowl. Remove the thinly shaved fennel from the ice water, pat them dry with a clean dish cloth or paper towels, and scatter them over the greens, followed by the thinly sliced cucumber and mixed citrus rounds. Crumble the 1/4 cup feta on top, garnish with 3 tablespoons of toasted almonds, and then pour a quarter of the dressing and give it a toss, adding more as needed. I prefer my salads lightly dressed!
Variations:
Salad with Roasted Vegetables: Chop into cubes a combination of vegetables (i.e. sweet potato, eggplant, peppers, cauliflower, zucchini), place on a lined baking tray and season with 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 400 F for 20 minutes until cooked and toss with your salad for a nutritious vegetarian meal or add protein by following one of the suggestions below.
Salad with Chicken: Pat a chicken breast dry with paper towels, season on both sides with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, dried oregano and pan sear in a cast iron skillet over high heat, about 5-7 minutes per side (check to make sure it’s cooked). Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it thinly and serving it with the salad.
Salad with Salmon: Pat a salmon dry with paper towels, season with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on a small lined baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 400F for 10 minutes. Let the fish rest for a few minutes before breaking it up into chunks in your salad with a spritz of fresh lemon juice.
Kitchen Notes:
Fennel: a member of the carrot family, it has a white bulb with green stalks and dill-like fronds and has a mild anise or licorice-like flavor. It is delicious shaved thinly and eaten raw in salads with citrus and seafood, or braised slowly over low heat to soften its flavor and render it almost sweet.
Substitutions:
Orange/Blood Orange: tangerine, mandarin orange, clementine, grapefruit, white grapefruit, pomelo
EVOO: olive oil or a neutral oil like grapeseed, avocado or canola oil
Feta: crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes cut up with their juices
Lemon Juice: red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar
Honey: maple syrup, agave
Almonds: cashews, walnuts, pistachio, pecans, hazelnuts
