“‘After a week of eating out, it was nice to come home and get right back to cooking. We got plenty of fresh vegetables in our CSA box this week including mixed greens, fennel, zucchini and summer squash, and carrots. The hot weather is already here in Dallas so we have been brainstorming lighter recipes. We loved the way this summer salad turned out using a combination of flavors and textures, including roasted fennel and raw zucchini ribbons.

Fennel is packed full of flavor and can taste great eaten raw, but we prefer to roast it for about 10 minutes to help make the taste more subtle. We did opt to leave the zucchini raw, which may sound strange, but the texture is perfect for a summer salad and pairs so well with the citrus vinaigrette. We used a mix of orange, lemon, and lime for a great blend, but you can use what you have on hand. We opted for red wine vinegar in this vinaigrette instead of the usual balsamic. We felt it fit the flavor profile better. Add in some fresh herbs; we used mint and the leftover fennel fronds and you’ve got a refreshing and healthy salad dressing.

We added some avocado, mixed greens, and cherry tomatoes to balance it out and paired the salad with a crab cake. We love buying the pre-made crab cakes at Central Market for a simple protein option in the summertime. The salad also pairs really well with other types of seafood. Think grilled shrimp, scallops, seared or smoked salmon, etc.

We actually took the crabcakes and cut them up into bite size pieces to make protein packed, low-carb “croutons”. We loved this idea, but you can totally skip this if short on time!

Let us know what you serve this salad alongside below in the comments!

Fennel and Zucchini Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2 People

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Fennel and Zucchini Salad

• 1 Bulb Fennel Thinly sliced, Reserve Fennel Fronds
• 2 Zucchini Sliced thinly into ribbons
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Cup cherry tomatoes Halved
• 2 Cups Mixed Greens

Citrus Vinaigrette

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 Clove garlic
• 1/2 lemon Juiced
• 1/2 Orange Juiced
• 1/2 Lime Juiced
• 2 tablespoons Mint Chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method

 

1. Peel outer layer of fennel bulb off and slice bulb thinly lengthwise. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of the fennel fronds for the dressing.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Add sliced fennel to baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Next, make the dressing. Add garlic, salt, pepper, mint, fennel fronds, oil, vinegar, honey and citrus to blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
4. Thinly slice zucchini lengthwise to make ribbons. This is easiest with a mandolin slicer, but can also be done by hand.
5. Toss zucchini ribbons with half of the citrus dressing in a large bowl and let marinate for 5-10 minutes.
6. On your plate, arrange roasted fennel, zucchini ribbons, mixed greens, sliced avocado, and tomatoes.
7. Top with remaining citrus dressing and any extra herbs. Pairs well with fish and seafood.