Fennel, avocado and grapefruit salad with orange vinaigrette

The first time I joined my husband Ted's family for a Canadian Thanksgiving meal, we were invited to celebrate with a group of friends at a camp in southern Ontario. The hosts assigned each family some potluck dishes to bring, and one of our assignments was carrots and celery sticks. When we arrived and added our contribution to the long buffet table, I noticed that our little plate of celery sticks was the only speck of green in a sea of brown: turkey, potatoes, gravy, parsnips, onions. If your Thanksgiving menu is looking a bit on the brown side, add this fennel, avocado and grapefruit salad to the mix. Raw fennel, thinly sliced and "marinated" in a mustardy vinaigrette, mellows to a very mildly anise flavor that pairs brilliantly with the tangy grapefruit and creamy avocado. Unexpected, and sure to be a hit.

Fennel, avocado and grapefuit salad with orange vinaigrette {vegan, gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:
Juice of 1/2 orange (approximately 2 tsp)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (I like grainy mustard, but use what you have)
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 large fennel bulb
1 ripe avocado
1 cup grapefruit segments

Directions

In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Shake vigorously, to emulsify the dressing.

Trim the fennel bulb by cutting across the top to remove the stalks (save the green fronds), and slicing across the bottom at the root end. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, and remove the hard core from each half.

Use a mandoline, if you have one, to create paper-thin slices of fennel. Or, slice as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife. Peel the avocado, and cut into slices. Add them to a bowl with the fennel and grapefruit segments.

Immediately toss with the vinaigrette, making sure to distribute the dressing over all of the avocado and fennel. Set aside at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. The longer the salad "marinates", the more tender the fennel will be.

Just before serving, toss some of the green fennel fronds into the salad.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salad:
Fennel, pear and olive salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Fennel, apple and walnut salad with pomegranate-orange dressing, from The Perfect Pantry
Spinach pomegranate salad with apples and walnuts, from Pinch My Salt
Tuscan kale salad with honey mustard vinaigrette and pomegranate, from Not Eating Out in New York

Fennel, avocado and grapefuit salad with orange vinaigrette {vegan, gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:
Juice of 1/2 orange (approximately 2 tsp)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (I like grainy mustard, but use what you have)
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 large fennel bulb
1 ripe avocado
1 cup grapefruit segments

Directions

In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Shake vigorously, to emulsify the dressing.

Trim the fennel bulb by cutting across the top to remove the stalks (save the green fronds), and slicing across the bottom at the root end. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, and remove the hard core from each half.

Use a mandoline, if you have one, to create paper-thin slices of fennel. Or, slice as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife. Peel the avocado, and cut into slices. Add them to a bowl with the fennel and grapefruit segments.

Immediately toss with the vinaigrette, making sure to distribute the dressing over all of the avocado and fennel. Set aside at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. The longer the salad "marinates", the more tender the fennel will be.

Just before serving, toss some of the green fennel fronds into the salad.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salad:
Fennel, pear and olive salad, from The Perfect Pantry
Fennel, apple and walnut salad with pomegranate-orange dressing, from The Perfect Pantry
Spinach pomegranate salad with apples and walnuts, from Pinch My Salt
Tuscan kale salad with honey mustard vinaigrette and pomegranate, from Not Eating Out in New York

Comments

I love grapefruit, so this salad is perfect for me!

I love simple salads with big flavor ingredients.

Kalyn, grapefruit always perks me up in the winter!

Kristi, same here. This salad seems improbable, yet it all works together really well.

This would certainly brighten up any Thanksgiving table! I don't eat raw fennel often, but I love the idea of some crunch in this salad.

Jeanette, I have my sister-in-law to thank for introducing me to raw fennel salads. They're really a treat, and so welcome in a heavy Thanksgiving meal.

Perfect salad, great option for a side dish with all that heavy stuff served for Thanksgiving (not that there's anything wrong with it! ;-)

Fennel is amazing, I like the tip of marinating it longer to soften it a bit.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Carrot and celery sticks? I find that absurd and hysterically funny! And boy I would much rather have this flavorful salad! I'm impatient for citrus season to be in full swing and then I'll make this!

Sally, my middle-aged digestive system needs a break from all of that heavy food, and this salad is perfect for that.

Jamie, imagine the shock of my Canadian relatives when they experienced Thanksgiving at my house for the first time and saw green salads and vegetables on the table!

unexpected and lovely!!

Carol, on the surface it seems an odd combination, but it really works, and the longer the fennel sits in the dressing, the more mellow it gets.