Shaved Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parmigiano

Cuisine:
Course: ,
Servings: 6
Description
I love simple flavorful salads and this one hits all the right notes. It is crisp and light and goes well with almost anything. Fennel salad has become a huge favorite with us and we make it a lot. Noted on 2/3/2012
Ingredients
  • 4 fennel bulbs
  • 2 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds (trimmed from the bulbs)
  • 2 tbsp sliced chives
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano plus a 2 ounce chunk
Method
  1. 1
    Trim the stalks and fronds from the fennel; reserve enough fronds to make ¼ cup chopped. Cut the bulbs lengthwise into halves and trim away the core at the base. Thinly shave the fennel and finely chop the reserved fronds.
  2. 2
    In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, fennel fronds and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil until incorporated. Add the grated Parmesan.
  3. 3
    Add the fennel to the dressing and toss to coat. Using a vegetable peeler, shave shards of the Parmesean over the top.
Cook's Notes
Advance Prep
The salad can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Shave the Parmesan at the last minute.
Variations
Any leftovers are terrific the next day. Toss with some good flaked jarred tuna.
Special Equipment
A mandoline is very helpful (a necessity if you make this salad as often as we do) for shaving the fennel. It makes the whole job go very fast. I use the plastic Japanese kind, it's pretty inexpensive and good for a lot of slicing jobs.