Orange and Fennel Salad with Olives and Sumac

From late September into the spring months, fennel is available and pairs beautifully with oranges.  When cooked it’s sweet and silky, but when raw it has a mild anise or licorice flavor.  It’s bright and crisp, which makes it perfect in this salad.  But if fennel isn’t your thing, substitute it with thin slices of red onion.  Your salad will have a slightly different flavor profile, but will still bring some freshness into the cold months, providing a welcomed break from those heavy winter meals.  I like to have this salad with a nice piece of seared tuna or salmon or a hunk of toasted garlic bread slathered with hummus and shaved radishes. 

The juicy sweetness of car acara oranges are delightful, but if you really want to make a statement, mix them up with pink grapefruit, navel oranges, and blood oranges, which are all in season around the same time.  The colors create a kaleidoscope effect on the platter which will wow your guests.  With the addition of green olives and sumac, the flavors will amaze and everyone will be begging you for the recipe.

If you’ve never heard of sumac, it’s a crushed dried berry used in Middle Eastern and North African cuisines.  With its recent increase in popularity, you can very often find it in the spice section of your local grocery store, but if not, there’s always the internet.  I get mine at my favorite Middle Eastern market.  It has a bright citrusy twang and goes well on…well, just about anything!  You can sprinkle it over fries or popcorn, add it to vinaigrettes, or top mashed white beans for a unique dip.  Sumac is a favorite in my spice collection!

Imagine bringing this beauty to a friend’s potluck!

Orange and Fennel Salad with Olives and Sumac

Yield: a little less than 1 pint/about 2 side servings

2 oranges

½ fennel bulb – reserve fronds for garnish

6 castelvetrano olives – with the pits

1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil – the good stuff!

½ tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch (or 2) sumac

Pinch flaked maldon sea salt

1.     Cut the top and bottom off one of the oranges with your chef’s knife.  With the orange flat on your cutting board, slice off the rest of the rind from top to bottom, while following the round curve of the orange.  Your orange will still be a spherical shape, but without the peel.  Now turn the orange on its side and slice ¼” round slices.  Decoratively place slices on a beautiful platter.

2.     Cut the second orange in half and juice into a medium-size bowl.  Set aside.

3.     Place the fennel on its side and trim the root end and the stalks with your chef’s knife. Pick off a couple of tablespoons of the feathery fronds and reserve for garnish.  Remove any damaged outer layers of the fennel and cut the bulb in half lengthwise, exposing the core.  You can remove the core by making an inverted “V” cut with your knife and prying out the core with your thumb.  Slice each half of the bulb widthwise into super thin 1/8” slices.  Sprinkle the fennel over the orange slices.

4.     Place the castelvetrano olives on your cutting board and lay the side of your chef’s knife on top and firmly flatten with the heel of your hand.  Don’t do one big bash, instead do several lighter, but firm taps so your olive doesn’t go flying across the room.  Remove the pits and discard.  Roughly chop the olive meat and then sprinkle the pieces over your orange and fennel platter.

5.     Take the reserved orange juice and whisk in the Dijon.  Slowly pour the olive oil in a very fine steady stream while you whisk to emulsify.  You can’t pour the oil slowly enough here.  If you pour too fast, or whisk too slow, the vinaigrette will break and not emulsify all the way.  Add a pinch of salt and whisk again to dissolve.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the fennel and orange.  You won’t need it all, so save the rest in your fridge for later use.

6.     Finish the salad with a few generous pinches of sumac and a small pinch of flaked maldon sea salt.  Pull the reserved fennel fronds apart and sprinkle over salad.

7.     If you don’t want to serve it right a way, hold off on the sumac and maldon salt until right before you serve this delicious salad.