Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad
Take advantage of fresh winter produce by making this Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad. It’s bright and citrusy in flavor, and is so easy to make! This salad is simple enough for every day but has a pretty enough presentation that it can easily be served for a special occasion.
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The Simple Side Salad I Make All Winter Long
I’ve always had a hard time with salads in the winter. I love fruits and vegetables, but the varieties are so much more limited this time of year! With that said, I’m really trying to embrace winter produce and to figure out creative and different dishes that feature those offerings.
This fennel orange salad is one of my new favorites. It tastes so bright and un-winter-y during this time of year.
Here’s why I think you’ll love this shaved fennel salad with oranges, too:
✔ Bright and Fresh Flavor: Raw fennel has a crunchy texture and sweet anise flavor that pairs deliciously with juicy oranges, tart pomegranate seeds, and salad greens.
✔ Speedy Fast Prep: You can have the veggies, citrus, and dressing prepped and assembled in 15 minutes (if that!). This is a huge reason why this is my go-to side salad in the winter.
✔ Make Ahead Option: You can prep each component of this recipe days in advance and store everything separately in the fridge. That way, all you have to do is toss it all together when you’re ready to eat.
Enjoy!
-Katie
Special Tools You’ll Need
This arugula, fennel, and orange salad is easy to make as is, but having the following kitchen tools on hand will make the prep work even easier.
- Mandoline Slicer — You’ll need to cut the fennel into very thin slices. I prefer using a madoline for this, but a sharp chef’s knife works too.
- Salad Spinner — Works great for washing and drying the salad greens.
- Mason Jar — I like to measure the ingredients for the dressing into a mason jar, add the lid, and shake it up. This then doubles as a storage container for leftovers!
- Salad Bowl or Serving Platter — To serve the salad. I prefer a platter or a shallow bowl for the prettiest presentation
The Main Ingredients
I served this orange and fennel salad with a simple orange balsamic dressing. A full list of ingredients with their measurements have been provided in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of what you’ll need.
- Salad Greens — I love the combination of mixed baby greens and peppery arugula, but any kind of lettuce will work. Just choose what you like! The fennel, oranges, and pomegranate are the real stars of this recipe.
- Oranges — Use any variety you like. I used a blend of cara cara, navel, and blood oranges this time for a prettier presentation. (I suggest supreming your oranges so that none of the bitter white pith sneaks into your salad.)
- Pomegranate Arils — You can purchase pre-packaged pomegranate arils rather than a whole pomegranate to save yourself lots of time.
- Fennel Bulb — Save the aromatic fronds for another recipe.
- Red Onion — Are much sweeter than yellow onion so they won’t overpower the delicate flavor of the fennel.
- Orange Vinaigrette — The citrusy dressing is a simple blend of white balsamic (milder and sweeter than regular balsamic, FYI), orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. That’s it!
How to Make an Orange and Fennel Salad
- Wash and dry the salad greens. If using head lettuce, tear lettuce into pieces.
- Remove the peel and pith from the orange. Cut the orange into sections or into rounds.
- Assemble the salad. Layer it in this order: salad greens, sliced red onion, sliced oranges, shaved fennel. Repeat these layers until all of the ingredients have been used. Top with pomegranate arils.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette. This salad is best enjoyed right away.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Make-Ahead Option
If you’re planning a dinner party and need to do some of the prep work in advance, you can easily prep the individual ingredients and the dressing ahead of time.
I recommend storing them in separate containers in the fridge and assembling the salad just before you plan on serving it. This will prevent the salad greens from becoming soggy.
What to Serve with This Orange and Fennel Salad
This winter salad is a great side for a number of hearty dishes. Some of my favorite mains to pair with this fresh salad include:
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More Winter Salad Recipes to Try
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Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad Recipe
This Pomegranate, Orange and Fennel salad is one of my new favorites. It tastes so bright and un-winter-y during this time of year. It takes advantage of fresh winter produce.
Ingredients
For the Fennel and Orange Salad:
- 1 cup mixed baby salad greens
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1-2 cara cara orange
- 1-2 blood orange
- 1 navel orange
- 1 large pomegranate, arils removed
- 2 fennel bulbs, cut in very thin slices
- 1/2 of a small red onion, cut in very thin round slices
For the Citrus Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint or parsley
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing. Combine the vinegar, juice, zest, oil, salt, pepper, honey, and mint together in a small mason jar. Shake well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Wash and dry the mixed greens and arugula. Set aside.
- Supreme the orange.Remove the peel and pith from the orange by cutting the top and bottom off, and then cutting away the remaining peel around the middle portion. Cut the oranges into rounds.
- Cut the fennel bulbs into very thin slices, almost shaved. A mandoline slicer works well for this.
- Slice the red onion into very thin slices. Separate the rings from one another.
- Assemble the salad. On a large serving platter or a shallow salad bowl, layer the salad ingredients as follows: mixed greens and arugula, onion slices, fennel slices, orange slices - repeating until all of these three ingredients have been used. Top with pomegranate arils. Serve with dressing.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 312Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 448mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 10gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Try Making This Salad!
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Miss says
Beautiful salad it must be insanely delicious! Awesome photo too.
wgfoodie says
What a wonderful recipe! Your pictures are beautiful as well.
Sues says
I love fennel and especially in combination with citrus! This salad looks absolutely delightful and SO pretty 🙂
dt says
What a lovely salad this is! The colors are so appetizing! Thanks for sharing !
Dana says
Beautiful Katie. Whenever I make Mexican food, I make a salad with spinach, shaved fennel, grapefruit, and oil cured black olives. Although the ingredients are winter-y, it doesn’t taste like it. Happy new year to you and your family!
Delishhh says
Oh so refreshing and nice looking. Great idea for Christmas Eve. We do a smorgasbord so folks can choose to do a light or heavy meal. Always lots of choices. Happy New Year!
HappyWhenNotHungry says
This looks so fresh and healthy! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa@Smart Food & Fit says
I agree with everyone the salad looks so refreshing. I love adding pomegranate to my salads, it gives it a nice texture!
Vivek Surti @ Vivek's Epicurean Adventures says
This recipe looks great!
My favorite un-wintery winter dishes are lettuce wraps! Usually when I make some braised meat, then I heat up the leftovers and put them in butter lettuce cups or romaine leaves, top them with a crunchy vegetable salad, roll them up and eat!
It’s a great fresh way to eat and is also a bit healthier and more unique than making a sandwich with your leftovers.
Dole Nutrition Insitute says
Looks spectacular Katie! We LOVE adding fennel to salads.
Lauren from Lauren's Latest says
Beautiful salad and great photos. I’m on a health kick, so I’ll be trying this out! I LOVE butter lettuce.
Amy | She Wears Many Hats says
A yummy start to the new year. So refreshing!
naomi says
Beautiful salad! I love the flavors and the colors of it.
Sandra Estrada says
Awesome! Thank you for the “healthy eats” 🙂
Liz @ Blog is the New Black says
I love ANYTHING with poms- looks refreshingly delish!
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
This looks so refreshing! Perfect for the new year 🙂