Five Minute Fennel
Fennel is easily one of my favorite vegetables — crisp, cleansing, and anise-forward, it’s essentially everything you’d look for in a crudite or a vessel for dip — but I’ll admit that I’ve struggled to nail a perfect fennel salad. I’m thinking of the kind found at Altro Paradiso, where the fennel is expertly shaved and paired simply with Castelvetrano olives and provolone.
But when you make your own, you can quickly run into issues; the results will of course be good, but transcendence is unexpectedly tricky. Slice your fennel too thin, and it can rapidly go limp under the weight of salt and olive oil; add too many ingredients, like oranges, nuts, or a glut of grated cheese, and the singular, licorice-ish bite of the fennel will be muted.
After much trial and error, I like to adhere to the following: use a mandoline for slicing, but stick to the thicker grades. Always add a generous and finely-minced barrage of parsley or other green herbs. Chopped olives are good; no need for capers or other adornments. Dress it very simply with good olive oil, lemon, a tiny splash of vinegar, and lots of salt. These days, I don’t even add cheese or crunchy elements like nuts or breadcrumbs, so as to preserve the freshness of the fennel. This should be a maximally clean and restorative salad.
Fennel Salad
Ingredients
3 small or 2 large fennel bulbs; top ends cut off, sliced vertically through the middle of the bulb, shaved not too thin on a mandoline across the larger, vertical side that you cut through
1 bunch parsley, finely minced
Handful of Castelvetrano olives, chopped roughly
1 teaspoon of fish sauce or colatura
2 lemon wedges
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Add the sliced fennel to a large bowl; salt the fennel and give it a squeeze of lemon to prevent oxidation. Set aside and drain any accumulated liquid before dressing.
In a small bowl, combine the olives and parsley with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and fish sauce; the herbs and olives should be suspended in dressing. Stir to combine.
After draining the fennel, add the dressing and mix well to incorporate.
Salt to taste if needed; garnish with lemon zest and additional olive oil.