This fennel and arugula salad is a simple spring salad with a lot of personality. It's a little peppery from the arugula, a little crunchy from the pine nuts and fennel, and just the right amount of creamy from the citrus dressing that brings it all together.
It's hard to describe how good the balance of flavors of is in this salad. I hope you make it!
Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients, but that's because every single one has distinct qualities that are magnified when combined with the others. Let's get to it.
For the Salad
- Fennel: Look for a firmly packed bulb with bright green, fresh fronds (the leaves). Avoid fennel that is soft, bruised, shows signs of browning or shriveling.
- Arugula: Look for bright green, perky leaves that are all the same color. Avoid any yellow, wilted or soggy leaves.
- Pine nuts: Prioritize freshness and source. Look for nuts that smell fresh, not rancid, and purchase them from a reputable source with high product turnover to ensure they haven't been sitting on shelves for too long.
- Salt and pepper: Flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- Fresh lemon juice: I like to use Meyer lemons when they're in season because they're a little less bitter than Eureka or other lemons. Always squeeze lemons for juice instead of buying packaged. The freshness and lack of preservatives make a big difference in the flavor.
- White balsamic vinegar: White balsamic vinegar has a milder, sweeter, and less intense flavor compared to traditional dark balsamic. It works in this recipe to balance the spiciness of the arugula and the herbal qualities of the fennel.
- Coconut nectar: Coconut nectar is a sweetener made from the sap of the coconut palm. It has a toffee-like sweetness with a hint of coconut. I like to use it because it has a low glycemic index meaning it doesn't spike your blood sugar like other sweeteners do. Oh, and it tastes amazing.
- Salt: I used Himalayan pink salt
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil because it's the highest quality grade, meaning it's unrefined, free of chemicals, and hasn't been heat-treated. Try to find one that is single origin and has a harvest date in the last year.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Fennel and Arugula Salad
Making a salad is easy once you cut your ingredients into the shapes and sizes you want . I'm always surprised more people don't do it.
- Shave the fennel on a microplane.
- Prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Add the fennel, arugula, and pine nuts to a bowl along with flaky sea salt and black pepper and combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, coconut nectar and salt.
- Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.
- Add just enough of the dressing to lightly coat the delicate ingredients. Then use your hands (or utensils) to give it a good mix.
Equipment
Making a salad is simple, but even easier if you have a few good kitchen tools like these:
- Chef's knife: Invest in a good chef's knife and care for it consistently. I use this classic 8" knife from Wustoff.
- Cutting board: A good end grain wood cutting board will protect your knives and keep your materials and food sanitary and safe.
- Glass bowls: Glass bowls come in handy every day of the week. Trust me, you can never have enough glass bowls. This is a great set.
- Mandoline: A mandoline makes cutting and chopping vegetables easy, especially for specialty cuts like shaving fennel. I use this one from OXO, but also really like and use this one from Benriner.
- Whisks: I hope you're inspired to make your own salad dressings as they are so easy to make. They contain better ingredients that you control and don't contain preservatives and other chemicals like most sold in grocery stores do. In bigger quantities, you can use a blender to puree, but for vinaigrettes, you just need a bowl and a whisk!
Storage
This fennel and arugula salad is best made in the minutes before you plan to eat it. The greens are so delicate, they will wilt under the weight of the dressing. You can, however, store the vegetables, nuts, and dressing to assemble at a later date.
- Store the dressing in an airtight glass container for up to a week.
- Wrap the arugula in a towel and place in a plastic bag and then in the produce drawer of the refrigerator for just a few days. It is best eaten within days.
- Store the pine nuts in an airtight glass container and keep in a cool, dark place for a few days. If you want to store them longer, freeze them.
Related
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Ideas to Consider
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Fennel and Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
This simple spring salad is a little peppery from the arugula, a little crunchy from the pine nuts and fennel, and just the right amount of creamy from the citrus dressing that brings it all together.
Ingredients
Ingredients for salad
- 2-3 small fennel bulbs
- 12 oz arugula
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients for Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon coconut nectar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
For the salad
- Prepare the fennel: Trim away any large extending from the bulb. Half each bulb vertically and trim away the triangular core at the center of the bulb. Then, shave the fennel using a mandolin.
- Place the arugula and fennel in a large bowl and season with a few pinches of flaky sea salt.
- Toast pine nuts in a cast iron pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add them to the bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Add just enough of the dressing to lightly coat the delicate ingredients. Then use your hands (or utensils) to give it a good mix and enjoy!
For the lemon vinaigrette
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, coconut nectar and salt.
- Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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