Fennel and mozzarella salad
Fennel is a plant used in its raw form in all kinds of salads and slaws. Its slightly sweet, anise flavour pairs well with both fruit and vegetables. A good accompaniment to fennel is apple, celery, fig, grape, orange, pear, melon and watermelon. As for herbs, the ones that are worth combining with it are dill, thyme and cumin. In addition, walnuts, pecans and almonds work very well as an addition to this vegetable. Fennel can be served raw, boiled, baked or grilled. When served raw, it is crunchy but at the same time soft and it has the most intense anise aroma in this form.
In my house, I use fennel when making salads and slaws. I use it fresh in slaws, and sometimes I grill it when making salads. This time I’d like to present to you a salad with grilled fennel and mozzarella. In addition to the fennel, this salad also includes orange, radicchio lettuce and pickled capers. I drizzled the salad with a bit of balsamic sauce on top. Without a doubt, this salad is a combination of many flavours. If you are familiar with radicchio, you know that it is lettuce chicory and, as befits chicory, it has a slight bitterness to it. Marinated capers have a sour, slightly vinegary aftertaste, and the balsamic sauce is slightly sweet.
Fennel salad is a dish served cold. It is perfect as an appetizer or snack. You can take it for lunch or serve it for dinner, it is light but filling at the same time. This fennel and mozzarella salad recipe is easy, and you’ll have the salad ready in less than 20 minutes.
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Ingredients for fennel and mozzarella salad.
- 250 g fennel
- 125 g mozzarelli di bufala
- 2 big oranges (around 400 g)
- 1 tablespoon of pickled capers
- 100 g radicchio salad
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic sauce
- 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
How to make fennel and mozzarella salad.
Cut the fennel into thin slices, rub it with oil and place it on a well-heated grill pan. Grill over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning over while grilling. Let the grilled fennel slices cool down.
Peel the orange and remove the white membrane from each of its segments. Cut the radicchio lettuce leaves into wide slices, and tear the mozzarella into smaller pieces with your fingers.
Arrange the radicchio lettuce, grilled fennel, mozzarella and orange on a serving plate. Sprinkle the capers on top and drizzle with the balsamic sauce.
Good to know when making fennel and mozzarella salad.
I start peeling the orange and cutting it into segments by placing the orange on a chopping board and cutting off the peel with a sharp knife. I do it with vertical movements from top to bottom – the knife should be as close to the skin as possible. When the peel is cut off, I cut out individual orange segments with the same sharp knife, trying to cut them directly at the surrounding white layer.
A good way to get rid of the bitterness of radicchio lettuce is to put the cut leaves in ice water. Let them rest for a few minutes, then drain them in a colander and pat them dry before adding them to your salad.
You can sprinkle the top of the salad with a little salt and pepper.
Do you like dishes with fennel? If so, try our recipe for Fennel salad.
