You'll love this refreshing Italian fennel salad with oranges and olives! Easy to prepare, it's a great alternative to your usual green salad.
Used as a contorno (side dish), this salad is a staple in Italian cuisine, especially in the fall when fennel and oranges are in season.
Serve it with this vegan barley soup, or these baked Italian chicken thighs for a heartier meal.
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Key Ingredients
- Fennel - the main ingredient in this salad, it provides an anise, or subtle licorice flavor
- Oranges - Used in the salad, as well as in the dressing, adds acidity to the salad's flavor profile
- Gaeta olives - Provide a briny flavor to round out the flavors
- Extra virgin olive oil - to make the dressing, provides earthy flavor
How to make it - step by step
Shave the fennel and place it into a bowl with water and ice
Peel and cut the orange into rounds
With the remaining orange, squeeze it into a bowl, and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk.
Assemble the salad - add the shaved fennel to a plate and top with orange rounds, olives and dressing
Recipe tips
- If you'd like the dressing to have a stronger orange flavor, you can decrease the amount of olive oil used
- You can also serve this salad more traditionally - instead of on a plate, in a deeper bowl, and mixing all the ingredients together with the dressing
- If you don't have a mandolin, just cut the fennel with a sharp knife as thinly as you can
Variations and Substitutions
- Gaeta olives are recommended for this recipe (which is a type of black olive), but any type of black olive will do - I recommend Kalamata as a good substitution
- Instead of olives, you can use capers, which will add a similar briny flavor
- Feel free to experiment by adding nuts, like walnuts for crunch! Pistachios would work well too. Try sunflower or pumpkin seeds as well
Storing
- Once this salad has been dressed with the dressing, it should be eaten right away
- If the salad is left undressed, you can place the shaved fennel in the bowl with water/ice in the fridge for up to one hour, so you can prep all your ingredients beforehand, and assemble when needed
FAQ
What does fennel taste like?
It tastes like anise, or has a mild licorice flavor (but definitely doesn't taste like a licorice stick!). When it's cooked, fennel becomes sweet, but stays savory when raw.
Can you eat fennel raw?
Yes, definitely! Just like it's used in this salad, fennel can be eaten raw. Most fennel recipes call for the bulb, but the whole fennel (including the fronds) can be eaten.
More Italian salad recipes
- 5-Ingredient Peach Burrata Salad
- Grilled Romaine Salad with Pancetta, Pecorino and Pine Nuts
- Italian Farro with Zucchini and Corn
If you’ve tried making this Italian Fennel Salad, or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and TIKTOK to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Recipe
Italian Fennel Salad with Orange - Traditional Recipe!
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1.5 tablespoon fresh orange juice from orange used in this recipe
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad
- 2 cups fennel shaved with a mandolin
- 1 orange large
- 12 gaeta olives
- coarse salt
Instructions
- Prepare a bowl with ice and water in it.
- Start by shaving the fennel - cut the top off as well as the bottom of the fennel bulb. Then cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise.
- Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, shave the fennel.
- Place the shaved fennel in the bowl with the water/ice. This will keep it crunchy and fresh for the salad.
Make the dressing
- Peel a large orange, and cut 6 round slices. Set aside.
- With the rest of the orange, squeeze out 1.5 tablespoon juice into a small bowl.
- To the bowl with the orange juice, add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork. Set aside.
Assemble the salad
- Transfer the shaved fennel from a bowl to a tea towel. Use the tea towel to dry the fennel off.
- Place the fennel in a plate - this is the base.
- Arrange the orange slices on top of the fennel. Add the olives.
- Sprinkle orange slices with a bit of coarse salt.
- Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Gaeta olives are recommended for this recipe (which is a type of black olive), but any type of black olive will do - I recommend Kalamata as a good substitution
- Instead of olives, you can use capers, which will add a similar briny flavor
- Feel free to experiment by adding nuts, like walnuts for crunch! Pistachios would work well too. Try sunflower or pumpkin seeds as well
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