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. 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. 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. 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.