A light and tangy Apple Fennel Salad with thinly sliced apples, celery, and fennel topped with walnuts and parmesan.
Apple Fennel Salad
I took a trip to Italy earlier this year and came away so inspired by all the different foods I ate while there. This apple and fennel salad is a recreation of one of the most surprisingly tasty things I ate in Italy. Surprising in a good way of course
In one of the cooking classes my husband and I attended, we watched as the instructor made a variation of this salad. The entire time I thought, I won’t love this one — mostly because fennel is not a reliable. But when it came time to eat it, I was obsessed — I couldn’t get enough. The flavors complement each other so well that this salad even converted me to liking fennel.
Now, many months later, and after making this recipe way too many times, I’m sharing it here
Good ingredients make a huge difference
With recipes that require so few ingredients, the ingredients use make such a big difference. For this apple fennel salad, the olive oil makes the biggest difference. Since the dressing on this salad is really only 2 ingredients — olive oil and lemon (plus salt and pepper), the better the olive oil, the better the flavor. With good, extra virgin olive oil, you’ll be shocked how good the “dressing” is for only having 2 ingredients.
Apple fennel salad tips
This apple fennel salad is so straightforward to make, but here are a few tips to get it tasting its best.
- Emulsify the oil. To do this combine the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil in a mason jar and shake it until well combined.
- Use a mandoline slicer. The fennel bulb, apples, and celery all get sliced very thin, giving this salad a great texture with a variation of flavors in each bite. Using a mandolin slice ensures everything is uniformly and consistently cut. We want paper thin apple and fennel pieces for this salad.
- Toast the walnuts. Toasting the walnuts adds so much flavor to this salad. If I’m pressed for time, I’ll often buy toasted or candied walnuts from the grocery store.
Apple fennel salad storage notes
- This salad doesn’t sit well, so avoid making it too far in advance. While the lemon juice will delay the apple from browning too quickly, I wouldn’t recommend making this salad more than 30 minutes in advance.
- This salad is best with very cold ingredients so make sure to stick the fennel, apple, and celery in the fridge for a few hours before preparing this salad.
- Add the walnuts and cheese right bfore serving to keep both these toppings from getting soggy.
Pair this apple fennel salad with one of these main dishes:
- Pepperoni Saporiti pasta with a sweet bell pepper sauce
- Stuffed Shells with Sausage comforting and hearty pasta dish
- Bruschetta Chicken balsamic grilled chicken
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with mozzarella cheese
- Italian Sausage Orzo Soup with lots of veggies
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
- 3 Granny Smith apples (halved, cored, and thinly sliced)
- 3 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup honey roasted walnuts (coarsely chopped)
- 1/4 cup shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Method
- Juice the lemon using a citrus juicer to get 3 tablespoons lemon juice. keep nearby.
- In a mason jar, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Put on the lid and shake to combine until dressing is emulsified. Adjust salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. If your lemon isn’t very ripe, you might want a bit more juice. See note 1.
- Using a mandolin slicer, thinly slice the fennel bulb. Cut the apples in half and then half again. Remove the core, then thinly slice all the apples with the mandolin. Thinly slice the celery with the mandolin. Add the fennel, apple, and celery to a large bowl.
- Gently toss the salad with the dressing. Right before serving, add the roasted walnuts and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Enjoy!
