Grilled Fennel and Orange Salad Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018
20101102-grilled-fennel-salad.jpg
Photographs: Joshua Bousel

Fennel is one of those foods that always surprises me. There are enough people out there I know that are so put-off by the stuff, I have it stored in my head that it can't be that good. So every time I do end up having it, it's always an amazement how much I really enjoy it.

Despite the strong anise aroma—something I too find a bit off-putting—the flavor tends to be a bit more mellow, especially after the fennel has been cooked, which it was in this particular salad. Grilled fennel was tossed with orange slices, almonds, mints, and a orange vinaigrette to come together as a might tasty side.

The grill gave the fennel a little sweetness and produced a nice contrast between the crunch and softness, while the juicy orange slices added another punch of sweetness that edged out over any remaining anise flavor. I'm pretty sure this combo could make at least a few fennel haters experience an unknown love for this bulb—often a surprise to myself.

Recipe Details

Grilled Fennel and Orange Salad Recipe

Prep 30 mins
Cook 15 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

  • Juice from 1 orange

  • Zest from 1/2 orange

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

  • 2 bulbs fennel, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices

  • Olive oil

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • 3 oranges, peeled and segmented

  • 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

  1. In small bowl, whisk together orange juice, zest, mustard, and olive oil to make vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

  2. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate. Brush fennel slices lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill fennel over high heat until charred and slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from grill and roughly chop, discarding any remaining pieces of core.

  3. In large bowl toss together fennel, orange segments, almonds, and mint. Drizzle on vinaigrette and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
230 Calories
20g Fat
13g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 230
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 541mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 42mg 211%
Calcium 69mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 358mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)