Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)

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.

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!

Jump to:

• Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe
• Simple Ingredients
• Best Oranges for Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe
• Tips for cutting the oranges for the salad
• What greens will work in this salad?
• What is Fresh Fennel?
• What Does Fennel Salad Taste Like?
• Substitute for Fennel in the salad:
• Orange Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
• Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)
• Serving Suggestions
• Leftovers and Storage
• Orange and Fennel Salad Recipe (Italian)
• Leftovers and Storage

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!

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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