A wonderful winter salad, Sicilian fennel and orange salad combines crisp, anise flavored fennel with sweet and juicy oranges. This easy salad comes together quickly with only a few ingredients and is a super refreshing starter, finisher, or side dish.
Like many Italian dishes, simple but quality ingredients come together to make a dish that is more than the sum of its parts. While there are many ways to make this salad, the base ingredients always include thinly sliced fennel, juicy oranges, and a simple dressing made with extra virgin olive oil.
Known in Italian as insalata di finocchi e arance, this salad uses two favored winter crops: fennel and orange. Widely used in Italian and Sicilian cuisine, fennel is often overlooked in the US. When used raw, this vegetable has a crisp texture and an anise or licorice flavor to it that contrasts nicely with both sweet and savory ingredients.
While many oranges can be found year-round to make this dish, I love to use or add blood oranges as well while they’re in season until early spring. They have a great flavor and sweetness, and their color creates a beautiful, vibrant look to the salad.
For a similar salad that's more fall-flavored, check out my fennel and apple slaw which goes great with pulled pork and other barbeque.
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🥘 Ingredients for Sicilian Fennel & Orange Salad
As mentioned above, there’s quite a few ways to make this salad. No matter what you add, fennel, orange, and olive oil always make up the base. Check further below for popular options.
Fennel – Known for its anise or slight licorice flavor, a thinly sliced fennel bulb makes up the bulk of this dish. These can usually be found in the produce section of bigger grocery stores, usually in the colder section where they keep crisp vegetables. I also use some of the green fronds as both fresh herbs for flavor and decoration.
Oranges – Naval oranges are easily available and work well for this dish. If you’re making it while they’re in season, Cara Cara and blood oranges are great to use for their flavor and vibrant color. I like to use a mix when I can.
Pomegranate – Not a typical ingredient, but I love to use pomegranate arils in this salad for their punch of tart but slightly sweet flavor. They also look like beautiful little jewels speckled through the salad.
Lemon – I use a bit of fresh lemon juice for a pop of acidity. This adds flavor to the olive oil dressing and helps to keep the fennel from browning early. Alternatively, you can use a bit of orange juice instead.
Olive Oil – Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for the dressing.
Seasoning – The seasoning for this salad stays very simple with just a little bit of salt and black pepper. Mixed with olive oil and lemon juice, the salad dressing is simple and basic, so it doesn’t overpower the main flavors.
🔪 How to Make Fennel and Orange Salad
This salad comes together very quickly once prepped. The only time-consuming part is slicing the fennel and oranges, especially if you’re not used to utilizing these ingredients.
Preparing Fennel
Start close to the bulb and cut off the stalks and fronds. You can save the stalks for use in stocks or broths, and the fronds for herbs or as a garnish. Reserve some of the fronds and give them a rough chop for use later. Now slice off the root end on the opposite side.
Next, slice the fennel bulb in half vertically. You can remove some of the harder, discolored outer layer, or use a vegetable peeler on it instead. Now remove the thick core by making angled cuts around it and pulling or cutting it out.
From here you can lay the fennel on the cut side and make vertical cuts for longer, straighter slices, or turn it and make perpendicular cuts for shorter, crescent shaped slices. Long, thin slices work well in salads, and if you have a mandolin, it makes this process easier and more consistent.
Place the sliced fennel into cold water with a few ice cubes to keep it from browning and stay crisp while working on the rest. Pat it dry before using.
Preparing Oranges
The goal here is to remove the rind and as much white pith as possible. I like to trim and slice into sort of star-shaped pieces a little under a ¼-inch thick. Alternatively, you can supreme the oranges instead, which starts with the same process.
Start by slicing off the top and bottom of an orange. Set the orange down on one of the cut sides for stability. Now make curved slices down from top to the bottom, removing the rind and as much white pith as you can.
Delicately slice off any remaining pith without cutting into the orange’s flesh. Turn the orange on its side and slice into thin segments as pictured.
If you want to supreme the orange, cut as above until you have the orange still whole but with the rind and pith removed. Now gently cut the orange segments out of the core by cutting against the white membranes holding it together.
Make the Salad
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Set aside for a moment.
In a large serving bowl, combine the sliced fennel, cut oranges, pomegranate arils, and the reserved fennel fronds. Pour the dressing over everything and gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and serve the dressing on the side. Serve the salad table-side and allow each person to dress as desired.
📖 Sicilian Fennel & Orange Salad Variations
While I love this version of fennel and orange salad for its simplicity and beautiful appearance, here’s a few other add-ins both traditional and optional.
Other Ingredients – Some of the other traditional ingredients in Sicilian fennel & orange salad include onion (red onion or shallot work well), olives (usually black), and sometimes nuts like pine nuts or pistachios. The salad is often topped with a bit of fresh torn mint as well.
Lettuce – If you want to add some greens to make the salad more filling, you can. A popular option is a bed of peppery arugula with the rest of the ingredients on top.
Optional Ingredients – Some of these ingredients are popular add-ins which may not be traditional but might be considered popular regional additions.
- Pink peppercorns add a nice color and flavor but be careful you don’t crack a tooth if you’re not expecting them.
- White or red wine vinegar is sometimes added to the oil for a vinaigrette, or honey to sweeten the dressing.
- Capers are sometimes added for the briny flavor instead of using olives.
- Anchovies can also be added on top of the salad for some protein and add a salty, briny flavor.
🍽 Recommended Equipment
Nothing fancy here, just two things I recommend, and one is optional.
Mandolin – You don’t need this to cut the fennel, but for very thin and consistent slices, a good mandolin is handy to have. They have a ton of other uses as well and I recommend one for a well-rounded kitchen setup.
Glass Bowl – When working with fresh vegetables and especially fruit, I always recommend a non-reactive bowl. This can be basically anything besides a metal mixing bowl. I like the large glass bowl for both tossing the salad together and for serving since it shows off the beautiful colors well.
❄️ How to Store Fennel & Orange Salad
With fresh fruits and vegetables, this salad is best eaten right away. However, you can make this ahead of time or save leftovers if done right.
If you think you will have leftovers, I suggest adding the dressing table-side for each person. Then you can save leftovers in the refrigerator with a separate container for the salad and another for the dressing. This will allow you to save the salad about 3-4 days and the dressing about a week. If the salad is tossed with the dressing, you can refrigerate leftovers for 1-2 days.
You can also prepare the salad ahead of time by cutting the fennel and oranges, then storing them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The dressing can also be made in advance and refrigerated for up to a week.
If the fennel (or onion if using) begins to wilt and turn soft and chewy, you can revive it before using it in the salad. Place in cold water with ice for 20-30 minutes and drain. This should make the sliced fennel crisp again.
Do not freeze.
📋 Recipe
Sicilian Fennel & Orange Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
- 2-3 large oranges, see note
- ½ medium red onion, sliced, optional
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 2 sprigs fresh mint, torn, optional
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, more to taste
Directions
Preparing Fennel:
- Start close to the bulb and cut off the stalks and fronds. You can save the stalks for use in stocks or broths, and the fronds for herbs or as a garnish. Reserve some of the fronds and give them a rough chop for use later. Now slice off the root end on the opposite side.
- Next, slice the fennel bulb in half vertically. You can remove some of the harder, discolored outer layer, or use a vegetable peeler on it instead. Now remove the thick core by making angled cuts around it and pulling or cutting it out.
- From here you can lay the fennel on the cut side and make vertical cuts for longer, straighter slices, or turn it and make perpendicular cuts for shorter, crescent shaped slices. Long, thin slices work well in salads, and if you have a mandolin, it makes this process easier and more consistent.
- Place the sliced fennel into cold water with a few ice cubes to keep it from browning and stay crisp while working on the rest. Pat it dry before using.
Preparing Oranges:
- The goal here is to remove the rind and as much white pith as possible. I like to trim and slice into sort of star-shaped pieces a little under a ¼-inch thick. Alternatively, you can supreme the oranges instead, which starts with the same process.
- Start by slicing off the top and bottom of an orange. Set the orange down on one of the cut sides for stability. Now make curved slices down from top to the bottom, removing the rind and as much white pith as you can.
- Delicately slice off any remaining pith without cutting into the orange’s flesh. Turn the orange on its side and slice into thin segments as pictured.
- If you want to supreme the orange, cut as above until you have the orange still whole but with the rind and pith removed. Now gently cut the orange segments out of the core by cutting against the white membranes holding it together.
Make the Salad:
- In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper. Set aside for a moment.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the sliced fennel, 2-3 cut oranges, 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils, and the reserved fennel fronds. Pour the dressing over everything and gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and serve the dressing on the side. Serve the salad table-side and allow each person to dress as desired.
Equipment Used
- Mandolin (optional)
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