Raw fennel and I started out on rocky ground. I wanted to like her, but found her crisp structure a little too firm for a salad and her flavor a little too potent on its own. Fennel has a lot of licorice and anise type notes, which can either add depth to a dish, or overpower everything.
The other partakers in this salad would probably argue that the raw fennel fell into its overpowering role. I, however, felt differently. For me, the key was the thinness of the fennel slices. I focused really hard on shaving the fennel with my knife, so that each slice was practically transparent. By slicing the fennel as thin as possible, it seemed to complement rather than control the dish. Each bite had only hints of licorice. Which made it all the more exciting to me.
It was clear that I was the only one who loved it, because I was the only one who reached for seconds, and offered to eat it the next day as leftovers. But that’s alright. Not all salads can please all people.
If the fennel didn’t scare you off by now, I’ll tell you about the rest of the salad! The other major player is watercress, which I found at Whole Foods (surprise, surprise). The greens are dressed with a very simple dressing made of toasted fennel seeds, finely chopped shallot, lemon juice and thinly sliced lemons. I let the dressing sit for about 45 minutes on the counter ahead of the meal, which helped to soften the lemon slices. There, too, I tried hard to keep the lemon slices as absolutely, painfully thin as possible. Because no one wants a mouth full of thick lemon.
Just before serving, the salad is tossed with the dressing and drizzled with olive oil. And I’ll tell you what. The leftovers were even better. The lemon and shallot further softened and the juices had time to really marinate the raw fennel, making it sort of slaw-like in a very balanced way.
I served this salad with Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Olives and Sumac, and Madeline contributed a powerful gazpacho made with cantaloupe and jalapeño by Melissa Clark. Oh, and Lemon Shaker Tart for dessert! That post is forthcoming.
69 recipes cooked, 156 to go.
