I grew up eating fennel, but I've noticed it's not very common in the US. For all the fennel lovers like me, here is a delicious and good looking recipe. For the non fennel lovers, you can easily substitute celery.
Love this! I eliminated the olives and used dole canned mandarin oranges instead of the fresh ones. I also added some balsamic vinegar and a little juice from the canned oranges to the dressing... it was delicious.
Read MoreI would have used canned mandarin oranges. The Navel oranges I used were not the flavor I wanted and I could not make the dressing work, but I used unfair trade olive oil, so... Advisory: when cutting a fennel bulb, remove a wedge-shaped section of the core. If you don't, the result is an octopus "head" and "tentacles" protruding from it.
Read MoreLove this! I eliminated the olives and used dole canned mandarin oranges instead of the fresh ones. I also added some balsamic vinegar and a little juice from the canned oranges to the dressing... it was delicious.
I also grew up eating this type of salad, minus the arugula. I will try it with the arugula.....an elegant addition I'm sure. Try adding chili flakes and squeeze an orange into the dressing as well. This reminds me of Sicily.
What a delicious salad. Thanks for sharing! I have used fennel in a creamy potato soup recipe that I have, and we love that one so decided to branch out with another fennel recipe. I made this salad last night when we had friends over. We paired the salad with To Die For Fettuccine Alfredo (also on this site) and they worked perfectly together - one rich and very creamy, the other crunchy and sharp-sweet. I doubled the dressing recipe just to be sure I'd have enough. (I can always use up leftover dressing on other salads/steamed veggies.) I probably ended up adding a bit more lemon juice than the recipe calls for - just a matter of personal taste. I was worried the honey sweetness would be too much, but not at all: it really works with the stronger arugula and fennel flavors. I used seedless clementine wedges instead of oranges just b/c that's what we had at the house. All-in-all a 5-star recipe. Tastes great, looks so bright and colorful, and it's an ideal way to break away from boring lettuce salads!
Made it for the first time. Never had fennel before, didn't even know what it looked like. LOVED IT!
I would have used canned mandarin oranges. The Navel oranges I used were not the flavor I wanted and I could not make the dressing work, but I used unfair trade olive oil, so... Advisory: when cutting a fennel bulb, remove a wedge-shaped section of the core. If you don't, the result is an octopus "head" and "tentacles" protruding from it.
I decided I had to make a salad with fennel for some friends. I don't know; I just felt like using fennel. I found this recipe. I had never used fennel before, nor arugula....and black olives with oranges? Well, it works! The salad was delicious, everybody loved it, and I had no leftovers! Suggestioin: cut the fennel bulb into small-to-medium pieces.
I prepared this dish for the 4th of July. I used my garden grown arugula which made it extra special. I also substituted canned manderin oranges for fresh and added balsamic to the dressing. A great dressing to the best tasting greens ever.
Fantastic combo of flavors! I could not have gotten my husband to eat Arugula in the past. He had seconds of this. My new favorite salad.
This salad was great! I tried it out on my parents, and they were very pleased with the dressing in particular. The only thing I did differently was add some clementine (small orange) juice to the dressing, and instead of regular oranges, used seedless clementines. I was concerned that the salad was going to have too much of a bite, as I remember eating arugula in the past and not particularly enjoying it. I had also heard that "fennel tastes like licorice". I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of this salad. The sweetness of the clementines and the saltiness of the olives made for quite and interesting (and desirable) combination. And the dressing ties everything together beautifully. This salad is light and refreshing, perfect for summer time!
Fantastic! I made one minor change and went with tangerines instead of oranges. The salad was surprisingly good. None of it tasted all that spectacular while separate and the taste of the dressing was sort of hideous, UNTIL mixed with the salad. I will definitely do this again.
This salad is very delicate and light, the not-too-sweet dressing brings the flavors together nicely.
This was a perfect dressing for these greens. My kids never had arugula and loved this.
Really great salad. Served with prime rib on Christmas and was as big a hit as the main course. Dressing and ingredient ratios are spot on.
This is a great combination for arugula, with no changes. However, I found it a trifle light on flavor, as I tend to favor contrasts. I added double lemon juice into the dressing, as well as the spicy walnuts from Trader Joe's into the salad. YUMMY!
This was an interesting salad, but I didn't like it enough to make it again. The orange was my favorite part. The fennel was probably my least favorite.
I used canned mandarin oranges well. I also used kalamata olives. I will definitely make this again.
This salad is fabulous and easy to make. The dressing perfectly complements the salad. Make sure the oranges are sweet. I also recommend that you serve the black olives on the side for those who do not like them. It is wonderful to serve when guests come!
It was OK...you have to be a fennel fan I think...not my favorite.
Loved the salad. Easy to make. Next time I think I'll leave out the olives though!
This is a favourite of mine. I've taken it to many potlucks with great success. I've made it with oranges and canned mandarines and I prefer the ease of using the canned though you do sacrifice a bit of the freshness and flavour. The secret to arugula is to make paper thin slices. It can be overpowering otherwise. I use a mandolin on the thinnest setting for it. Don't forget, arugula is a laxative if you eat enough of it. It's a tasty salad but don't eat the entire recipe in one day. I'll often prepare the ingredients in separate containers and assemble the salad right before I eat it to ensure that the arugula and fennel stay fresh and crisp.
Delicious! Loved the peppery arugula, sharp bite of fennel, and unexpected sweetness of the orange supremes. I used Kalamata olives - perfect. The dressing was just right too. Keeper recipe, for sure!
Love this recipe! Made it many times for different occassions and ALWAYS get rave reviews.
I was looking for something new and exciting to serve as a salad with my homemade spaghetti dinner at beach week with the family. Instead of going the shortcut way with canned mandarin oranges as some commented on, I hand sectioned the oranges and was rewarded with the sweet natural flavor of them. Canned oranges? No thanks. It was worth the extra mile. Everyone loved it and asked for a copy of the recipe. ENJOY!
Love the combination of the ingredients - totally fresh and zingy... thanks for sharing!
These were definitely interesting flavors and a very unique salad. It gave me an excuse to finally play with fennel. The cashier was unfamiliar and asked me what it was upon check out, lol. The vinaigrette used here was beautiful and delicate. It matched extremely well with the orange segments. It was my first time dealing with arugula as well. Unfortunately, I was not the biggest fan of this ingredient. It has a bitter taste which creates a huge distraction from the subtlety of the other flavors. The vinaigrette, oranges, and fennel were perfect together so I will probably be making this again except that I will replace the arugula with green leaf or baby spinach. This was a very creative recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I really enjoyed the combination of orange and fresh fennel. I tried this with both a honey Dijon dressing and balsamic vinaigrette, both delicious! I made a few changes, omitted olives and served with mixed greens. the second time I made it, I added grilled salmon and it was great!
Great salad! I changed proportions of dressing - more lemon juice, less olive oil. Also added juice of grapefruit into dressing. Substituted grapefruit for oranges. Added almonds and beats.
This was delicious! I will be making this many times again. There are some strong flavours, so if you/your family prefer a staple 'garden salad', this may not be for you.
This was my first time using fennel and wasn't sure what to expect, but everything turned out delicious and refreshing. Didn't change a thing, and I'll make again. Highly recommend.
This is delicious! The medley of flavors with the fennel and arugula is delicious. A welcome change in my salad rotation!
This recipe is really 2.5 stars. We didn't dislike it but didn't like it either. I brought it to Christmas dinner with the extended family and everyone was too polite to comment. I followed the recipe exactly. The olives did not go well with the rest of the ingredients and the dressing was boring. Even without the olives I think the basic flavor is a bit bland, except for the burst of citrus.
I made this salad last night for supper and the salad part was fine but the dressing was nasty. It calls for way too much olive oil. I think about 1 or 2 tablespoons would be enough. It was just too oily. I will make this again but do something different with the dressing.
Wonderful spring salad liked by everyone at our Easter holiday party. Added dried cranberries, slivered & toasted almonds before serving. Salad dressing with white balsamic vinegar grapefruit flavour enhanced the taste. So good!
We really enjoyed this! Loved the peppery arugula paired with the sweet oranges and licorice-y fennel! These are flavors that my husband grew up with, and I knew he'd enjoy this salad. Will make again. Thanks for sharing.
This has become a staple recipe for us. Even my 4 yr old loves it! I put feta on for her and it’s very tasty!!!
Fantastic. Used kalamata olives, added halved grape tomatoes and slices of parmesan cheese on top. Even my foodie friends wanted the recipe. Lots of requests asking about the dressing too.
Thank you for this recipe! Thanks to everyone for reviewing, too! It all helped me use up some perishables and try new things! Like many, I'd never tried oranges and olives together. We didn't have black but kalamatas packed in oil olive we're great. Hubby had never tried fennel but he loves arugula and he polished his whole bowl off! I ran out of lemons so I subbed clementines and lime juice. We used clementines for our oranges too. I can't stand honey so I subbed SF maple syrup. It was a little too noticeable so either I'll skip it or try another substitute next time. The orange juice is probably sweet enough on its own. I gave hubby pecans and I added cashew pieces (our respective favorites), though any nut will due to added protein and crunch. In the end, even with my wonky substitution, hubby declared it a winner--and I agree! We served it with tofu Tikka Masala and cauliflower rice.
Loved it! But I substituted arugula for butter lettuce. I am not a big arugula fan! So delicious and light. Works well with clementines as well.
Ok.... made this tonight. I used Romaine, a little onion, pure Canadian maple syrup instead of honey, no olives. I also added one can of mandarin oranges and the juice. Yummy!
Very fresh and very good. Not my favourite of all time, but I enjoyed the originality and freshness of this salad.
delicious! didn't need any olives---used with fresh arugula from Farmer's Market
Perfect summer salad to serve with shrimp and grits. Our guests loved it. Light and refreshing. I did add some orange juice to the dressing. Will definitely make again.
Absolutely love this recipe! Made it per the recipe; just cut each olive in half and went light on them. Really, really good!!!
Bright flavors of this salad pair nicely with any rich grilled meat. Creates great balance between fatty and delicious beef and pork and bright greens and citrus.
No olives, added dried cranberries. Great mix of tastes, and the dressing was perfect!
I love this salad!! So fresh and attractive. I make it with sweet seedless Mandarin oranges. Try this - Peel the Mandarins thoroughly then break in half and slice the haves cross wise. This exposes the colorful inside and looks much better than segments. I have always omitted the black olives because it seemed odd although maybe I would like it if I tried it. I also have not used the fennel but will try that in the future otherwise I make the salad exactly as written. I recently served this at a bridal shower brunch and it was perfect with quiche.
