Fennel Salad with Lemon and Anchovy

 

A salad that is definitely slaw in spirit, this can be further salad-ified by adding in some arugula or serving the whole thing over a bed of torn romaine, iceberg, or escarole. It's very onion-forward, which is my preference (especially when eating with something sweet and tangy, like fresh tomato pasta, or rich and heavy, like a braised pork shoulder or pot of short ribs), but if that turns you off, try rinsing the onion in cold water before seasoning (or simply cut the amount of onion by half).

YIELD — 4 servings

 

Ingredients

  • 11 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced (if you hate fennel, use celery. If you hate both, use romaine)

  • 1/2 small onion, 1 large shallot or 4 scallions, thinly sliced

  • 2 lemons

  • 4 cups mixed herbs, such as parsley, basil, cilantro, dill and/or mint

  • 4–6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 

  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated 

  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper 

  • Olive oil

Directions

1. If you have the desire (and the ice), place fennel and onion in a large bowl of ice water (this will curl both vegetables and also remove some of the bite from the onion if you’re sensitive). Drain well before using. Otherwise, just proceed. 

2. Finely chop one lemon, taking care to remove all seeds as you see them. Add to a large bowl with anchovies, garlic and the juice of the other lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Add fennel and onion to the bowl, tossing to coat. 

3. Give it a good glug of olive oil and season again with salt and pepper. Add herbs as you see fit.

newsletter, salads, vegetablesAlison RomanComment