What does fennel taste like?

Fresh raw fennel bulb tastes slightly sweet and refreshing. It has a mild anise aroma reminiscent of licorice with a crisp texture that reminds me of a freshly picked apple. Some people think it is a bit like celery. If you've ever eaten Good and Plenty candies, fennel tastes a little like that, but not as sweet.

What part of fennel do you eat?

The entire fennel plant is edible, though some parts are better than others. This recipe calls for fennel bulb. The core of the bulb can be too tough to enjoy so remove and discard it. The stalks can be tough and stringy like overgrown celery. Compost the stalks or use them to make broth. Save the fronds for garnish. You can eat fennel seeds as a digestive and breath freshener. Our local Indian restaurant serves a tiny bowl of toasted fennel seeds with rock sugar for this purpose.

What is the best way to eat fennel?

In my opinion, when you get good fresh fennel, you should eat it raw in order to do it justice. Eating fennel reminds me of my trip to Rome and Sicily in November, when fennel was in season. When in Rome, we popped into a side street cafe for lunch, where I asked our server to serve me the fresh fennel (finnochio, in Italian) nestled among other vegetables on display. They served the bulb straight up on a plate and instructed me to bite into it like an apple. It was crunchy and refreshing. After a morning of sightseeing, it re-energized me.

How do you prepare fennel for salad?

It is best to serve raw fennel thinly sliced across the grain. To slice fennel use a kitchen knife to cut off the top and bottom, core it, then slice it thinly just like an onion. This is my preferred method.

Orange and fennel salad • We Count Carbs

Description

This cheerful orange and fennel salad is my favorite fennel recipe for a quick and easy no cook meal with just 2 ingredients - fresh fennel bulb and orange. Just crack open a can of sardines to make it a complete meal.

Ingredients

Scale

1 fennel bulb (1 small to medium or 1/2 large bulb or 1 cup sliced)

1 orange, navel (about 3" diameter fruit)

a pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

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Instructions

Prepare fennel by cutting off top. Set aside fronds for garnish. Cut bulb in half lengthwise. Slice off bottom and remove core. Lay fennel halves flat side down and slice thinly like an onion. Arrange sliced fennel on serving plate.
Prepare orange by cutting off the top and bottom. Then cut in half crosswise. Slide the tip of a knife just inside of skin. Cut around the flesh using the skin as a guide, rolling the orange around as you go. Once the skin is removed, place orange half flat side down on a cutting board. Slice the orange by lightly holding the orange in place with your fingertips while slicing across parallel to the cutting board. Arrange orange slices over the fennel.
Dress the salad. Squeeze juice from orange tops and bottoms (and any flesh remaining in the peel) over the salad. Drizzle with olive oil. Finish with a pinch of salt.
Garnish with fennel fronds.

Notes

Note: If you choose to use a mandoline to slice the fennel, please be careful! I've used one my whole life, yet ended up in the emergency room after not being careful enough. The ER nurses told me that this is pretty common.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: salad
Method: no cook
Cuisine: Mediterranean