This light, refreshing salad with fennel, citrus, candied kumquats, herbs, and toasted pecans bring brightness and balance to the holiday table. It cuts through the opulence of a Thanksgiving feast while complementing traditional flavors.
New American · Salads & Sides
Fennel Citrus Salad
Tested by
Cooked and tested by the Valentiful team
This light, refreshing salad with fennel, citrus, candied kumquats, herbs, and toasted pecans bring brightness and balance to the holiday table. It cuts through the opulence of a Thanksgiving feast while complementing traditional flavors.
Tastes
Colors
Techniques
DietaryGluten-Free · Egg-Free · Soy-Free · Dairy-Free · Sesame-Free · Vegetarian
Yield1½ quarts
Serves4 (1.5 cups)
TimeActive 45m · Total 45m
Tested by
Cooked and tested by the Valentiful team
Ingredients
1 Large Fennelshaved, 1/2 cm thin, fronds reserved for garnish
½ tsp Salt
1 cup Grapefruit or Tangerines or Orangessupremed
½ cup Kumquatsseeded & sliced, 1/4 cm thin
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
¾ cup Water
¼ cup Citrus Juice, leftover from supreme scraps
Citrus zest (lemon/orange), to taste
½ Tbsp Honey
¼ cup Olive Oil
½ Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Shallotsminced
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
Salt, to taste
Black Peppercorn, to tastecracked
Sourcing Tips
Sub any nut you’d like; pistachio and pine nut work great.
Instructions
••
Slice fennel bulbs thinly (½ cm), toss with 1 tsp kosher salt, and set aside.
• You can let the salted fennel rest a few hours before using, but be sure to drain off any excess liquid before dressing.
Zest the citrus before cutting, then supreme the mixed citrus, catching juice for the dressing.
• This is a great way to use every part of the citrus — zest for fragrance, juice for the dressing, and segments for the salad.
Slice kumquats thin, remove seeds. Cover with water, bring to boil, drain. Then cover with the specified amount of water and sugar, and simmer until translucent, about 10 min. Strain and cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together citrus juice, zest, shallot, Dijon, honey, salt, and pepper. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Balance with vinegar and adjust seasoning.
Drain any excess liquid off the salted fennel. Then toss with dressing, citrus supremes, herbs, reserved fennel fronds, and candied kumquats. Taste, adjust seasoning, and top with toasted pecans.
Finished cooking?
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Chilled
Make ahead: You can shave the fennel a few hours ahead of time. And you can dress about 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors marry. Be sure to check again for seasoning, as it will continue to water down as it sits. It is best within 30 minutes of dressing.
Keeps: Salad will be good next day but may lose a bit of crunch and need to be redressed/seasoned.
Beverage: Whites with good acidity; sauv blanc/riesling
Sourcing Tips
Sub any nut you’d like; pistachio and pine nut work great.
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Chilled
Make ahead: You can shave the fennel a few hours ahead of time. And you can dress about 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors marry. Be sure to check again for seasoning, as it will continue to water down as it sits. It is best within 30 minutes of dressing.
Keeps: Salad will be good next day but may lose a bit of crunch and need to be redressed/seasoned.
Beverage: Whites with good acidity; sauv blanc/riesling