Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)

5 from 2 reviews

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Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe. This Italian fennel, orange, and pomegranate salad with hazelnuts will brighten your table this winter season! Serve as a side with Prime Rib Roast Recipe and Red Skin Mashed Potatoes.

More fresh salad recipes: Arugula, Apple, and Pistachio Salad in Parmigiano Cups, Italian Salad Pears, Walnuts, and Gorgonzola, Prosciutto Melon Arugula Salad Citrus Vinaigrette, and Easy Italian Style Pasta Salad with Arugula.

Salad orange fennel pomegranate
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Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe

Why I love this recipe

It is a gorgeous display of simple and fresh ingredients. The pop of color from the citrus adds a bright touch with an extra punch of vitamin C. You will love the crunch from the hazelnuts and sweet fresh fennel. It’s an all-around delicious salad!

Simple Ingredients

Salad

  • Italian salad mix variety
  • Orange variety of choice (see recommendations)
  • Fresh fennel
  • Pomegranate
  • Hazelnuts
  • Olives
  • Red onions (optional)

Red onions would work great in this salad. I don’t love raw onions, but many do!

Vinaigrette

  • Olive oil
  • Fresh orange juice
  • Orange zest
  • Honey
  • Dijon mustard
  • Garlic
  • Salt and Pepper

Best Oranges for Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe

You can use any citrus of your choice to make this salad; the brighter the color, the better! Here are some I recommend:

  • Cara Cara Orange
  • Blood Orange
  • Navel Orange (if fresh and sweet)

Even tangerines will work!

Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe  on a plate with a pomegranate in the background.

Tips for cutting the oranges for the salad

I use a serrated knife and cut off the top and bottom of the orange so it can stand flat. Then, take off the peel by slicing it from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit.

Take off only the peel and the white pith, as much as you can see, leaving the flesh naked, then turn the fruit on its’ side and carefully slice crosswise. That’s it!

What greens will work in this salad?

I love to use a traditional Italian mix. You can find this salad in pre-made bags with the perfect balance of sweet, crunchy romaine and crisp red cabbage that adds a delectable texture and taste to this salad.

Use just about any salad mix you want. You can also add arugula or spinach. I don’t prefer to use romaine or iceberg lettuce because it’s too crunchy, and the water content is too high. You will have better results with thin, leafy greens.

What is Fresh Fennel?

Fennel is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves.

It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea coast and on riverbanks.

We eat a lot of fresh fennel in Sardegna, Italia, where my family lives. It tastes sweet and crisp.

What Does Fennel Salad Taste Like?

“Anise-flavored” is the term used most often to describe fennel’s flavor—but that doesn’t mean it tastes like a licorice stick!

Fresh fennel’s anise flavor is delicate and mild; many self-proclaimed licorice haters find that they like it. Texture-wise, the bulb is much like celery: crunchy and fibrous when raw, soft and silky when cooked. 

Try this recipe for cooked fennel:

Roasted Fennel Recipe (Italian Style)

Substitute for Fennel in the salad:

Fresh fennel can sometimes be hard to find. If you ask your produce department at your local grocery store, they can usually order it for you within a couple of days. If you really can’t find it, you can:

  • leave out the fresh fennel
  • add a little dried fennel to the salad dressing
  • use cut celery as a variation

Orange Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

You will love this super easy homemade vinaigrette that you can use for different salad recipes as well.

It is sweet, tangy, and fresh and has just the flavors you desire for your tender salad greens. You throw all the ingredients in a jar and shake, shake, shake!

Everyone loves this salad. It’s super easy to make!

And if you love fruits in your salad, you might like Easy Mexican Fruit Salad or Italian Fruit Salad Recipe.

Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)

A beautiful and delicious salad for entertaining!

Best tips for serving salad:

  • Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead of time. Store the dressing in the fridge and let it come to room temperature an hour before serving. Shake the jar, and presto! You are ready to dress your salad.
  • Serve the salad in a flat and wide serving platter (as pictured). Ditch the deep salad bowl and serve your salad on a platter for a pretty presentation. This will also help with serving and evenly topping the salad with all the add-in ingredients.
  • Dress the salad 10 minutes before serving, and DO NOT TOSS. When you serve the salad on a shallow and wide serving platter, you don’t need to toss the salad. No more digging for all the yummy toppings at the bottom of the bowl! Distribute the dressing evenly over the top, and it will seep down to coat all the toppings and salad underneath. Voila!

As guests serve themselves, the salad will stay pretty with the ingredients on top. Everyone will get a little bit of all the delicious toppings as they get their portions, and the salad will be perfectly dressed with the vinaigrette.

Serving Suggestions

This salad goes well with Perfect Pork Tenderloin with Fennel, Baked Flounder Recipe, or Classic Italian Lasagna Bolognese with Bechamel Sauce. Serve with a side of homemade bread, or focaccia, and a Simple Italian Apple Cake (one bowl) for dessert!

This salad also makes a great side to go with homemade pizza!

From my Cucina to Your Table. Mangia! Mangia! (Eat!)

Made with Amore, Elena

Leftovers and Storage

This fresh orange and fennel salad is best eaten and finished immediately. If you suspect leftovers, don’t dress the salad all at once. Instead, dress individual servings.

Store leftover salad in an airtight container for 2 days. The remaining dressing should be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Salad orange fennel pomegranate

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Salad orange fennel pomegranate

Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Elena Davis
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This Italian Winter Salad with fresh Fennel, Citrus, and Hazelnuts is sure to brighten your table this season! It is a gorgeous display of simple and fresh ingredients. The pop of color from the citrus add a bright touch with an extra punch of vitamin C. You will love the crunch from the hazelnuts and sweet fresh fennel. It’s an all around delicious salad!  


Ingredients

Units Scale

Orange Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice + zest of one orange
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic cut in quarters

Salad

  • 2 bags (510 g) Italian lettuce mix or spring greens
  • 2 medium oranges, skin removed and cut in thin slices (see notes)
  • 4 tablespoons hazelnuts
  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly slices
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/4 cup olives of choice- I love green Castelvetrano Olives
  • 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

Vinaigrette

  1. Place all ingredients in a Mason jar and shake vigorously. The dressing can stay at room temperature for up to two hours and up to one week in the refrigerator.

Salad

  1. In a large salad bowl or platter, add the mixed salad.  Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the salad. Do not toss.
  2.  Add the prepared dressing evenly on top of the salad 10 minutes before serving. Do not toss, or all the ingredients will fall to the bottom. The dressing will eventually coat the bottom of the salad as it sinks. The salad will toss naturally as it is served. Mangia!

Notes

Tips for cutting the oranges for the salad. I use a serrated knife and cut off the top and bottom of the orange so it can stand flat. Then,  take off the peel by slicing it from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit. Take off only the peel and the white pith, as much as you can see, leaving the flesh naked, then turn the fruit on its’ side and carefully slice crosswise. That’s it!

Leftovers and Storage

This fresh orange and fennel salad is best eaten and finished immediately. If you suspect leftovers, don’t dress the salad all at once. Instead, dress individual servings.

Store leftover salad in an airtight container for 2 days. The remaining dressing should be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: N/A
  • Category: Savory
  • Method: Italian
  • Cuisine: Italian

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About Elena

My dream is to share delicious wholesome recipes that you will share around the table with all your loved ones. The memories surrounded by food are the heart and soul of CucinaByElena.

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6 Comments

  1. This salad is not only beautifully visually appetizing, it and its dressing ๐Ÿคฉ are delicious! And being a โ€œcomposedโ€ salad on a platter not only gets high marks for presentation from your guests, it also keeps all the โ€œgoodiesโ€ on top for serving. ๐Ÿ˜€ Brava, Elena. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ Grazie.






    1. Hi Karen, you can find them at any grocery store in the olive section. You will notice their bright green color and name on the bottle. You can also find some in the deli section or olive bar.

      1. This salad was so delicious. I made it for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it so much ! Itโ€™s so fresh and the dressing was amazing. Thank you Elena for sharing !
        Highly recommended.