Fennel Orange Salad with Kalamata Olives

I sit down to write a little something about the recipes I post and sometimes I just don’t know what to say. How many times can I tell you how much I love fennel and orange together? Or how much I adore salad? Or how much I love fennel orange salad? Or how blasted cold it’s been and how much snow has fallen and how much I am longing for spring to arrive?

I could tell you all of those things, or I could just say this: Make this salad. It’s incredibly delicious. It’s sweet and salty and fresh. And you’ll love it. I could also let the pictures speak for themselves…

The crunchy fennel pairs perfectly with the sweet, juicy oranges, which are complimented by the saltiness of the olives and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Be sure to save some of the fennel fronds to use as a garish. The microgreens add another fresh element that is also very nutritious.

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Fennel Orange Salad with Kalamata Olives and Microgreens

Author: Lindsey Johnson

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Prep time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

A refreshing winter salad made with crunchy fennel, juicy oranges, and topped with briny olives and shavings of aged cheese.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb (about 6 oz.), some fronds reserved, very thinly sliced and tossed with a little fresh lemon juice
2 medium oranges, peel removed and cut into thin slices crosswise
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings (use a vegetable peeler)
big pinch coarse salt (I used sel gris)
small handful microgreens
really good olive oil, for drizzling
lemon juice, for drizzling

Instructions

Arrange ¼ of the sliced fennel on each of four plates along with ¼ of the orange slices and kalamata olives. Sprinkle with a tiny pinch of the coarse sea salt, a few fennel fronds and microgreens. Drizzle with a little of the olive oil and lemon juice. Serve immediately.