Blood Orange and Fennel Salad

This Blood Orange and Fennel Salad is a stunning winter citrus salad that can be enjoyed as an appetizer, side dish, or a light meal!

This fennel salad with oranges is incredibly quick and easy to make, bursting with bright colors and semi-sweet and tangy flavors thanks to the blood orange.

Add this citrus salad to your table over the holidays for special occasions and instantly add elegance to any main meal served alongside this Mediterranean fennel salad!

What You’ll Need

This tasty salad needs very few ingredients, as its charm is in its simplicity. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand!

For the Vegan Fennel Salad

• Fennel
• Radishes
• Orange 
• Blood orange (or you can use 2 regular oranges)
• Kalamata olives
• Walnuts

For the Dressing

• Fresh Ginger
• White wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

How to Put Your Mediterranean Fennel Salad Together

First, you’ll make your dressing.

Add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, grated ginger, and salt & pepper to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Then you’ll assemble the salad ingredients.

Thinly slice your radishes, peel the oranges and cut them into wedges, and finely slice the fennel bulbs.

Add your fennel, radishes, and olives to a bowl. Then add the salad dressing and toss to combine.

Add the oranges and walnuts and give a gentle stir.

Serve!

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How to Store this Blood Orange and Fennel Salad?

Like most salads, this Italian fennel salad should ideally be served immediately after assembling.

Having said that, if you do end up with any leftovers, be sure to store this Sicilian fennel and orange salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days at most. Any longer than that and your salad will start to wilt and turn soggy. 

Do Blood Oranges have a Distinctive Taste?

Yes, they do. Blood oranges tend to be more subtle in sweetness than ordinary oranges. They have a slightly tangy taste, more like what you’d expect from grapefruit or tart berries. 

Apart from the beautiful color of blood oranges, the addition of this citrus fruit to a salad is perfect for anyone who enjoys semi-sweet or tart fruits.  

Possible Recipe Variations

• While I’ve used walnuts in this salad, feel free to use your favorite nuts like pecans, or a combination of nuts. 
• Add other types of oranges to this salad such as valencia, cara cara or navel oranges in addition to the blood oranges.
• Adding crispy baked croutons would offer a delicious crunch to this salad.
• Get a healthy boost of plant-based protein in this vegan salad by including roasted chickpeas!
• Fresh mint and finely shaved vegan parmesan is a lovely way to garnish this beautiful salad. 

What to Serve with this Mediterranean Fennel Salad

This fennel and citrus salad is perfect as a side dish, starter, or even a wholesome light meal. To enjoy this fennel radish orange salad as a side dish, consider adding it to this Tuscan white bean skillet, creamy mushroom stroganoff, vegan lentil meatloaf, or another hearty vegan main meal that could do with a refreshing and light side dish. 

Do I need to Supreme my Oranges for this Salad?

I definitely recommend that you supreme your oranges for this salad for ease of consumption as well as the beauty of showing your oranges off in the salad.

The term “supreming” simply means the removal of the orange rind from the flesh of the fruit so that you can present your cut fruit in a pleasing way that can also be eaten with ease.  

The steps to supreme an orange are as follows:

1. Slice the top and bottom of the orange off using a sharp knife. 
2. Stand the orange up on the bottom cut section and proceed to peel the orange (including the white pith) from top all the way to the bottom, following the shape of the orange.
3. Once peeled, trim off any remaining white pith that you can see. 
4. Place the orange on its side and slice it into thin pieces or however you wish. 

Tips for Making Fennel Radish Orange Salad

• This Italian fennel salad should be served and enjoyed immediately. The fresh fennel is known to lose its crunch quickly and blacken once seasoned with dressing. 
• This vegan fennel salad really ought to be shown off to guests over the holiday season. Consider doubling the ingredients when serving this salad to a crowd. 
• Leftover dressing and vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week. 

Other Delicious Vegan Salads to Try:

• Vegan couscous salad
• Vegan coleslaw
• Mexican lettuce wraps
• Raw veggie wraps

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