Using verjus as a vinaigrette makes this fennel and apple salad pop. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

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August 2010

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Vegetables

Fennel Salad Recipe

With Verjus Vinaigrette

The complex flavor of verjus makes an excellent vinaigrette. It especially complements the sliced fruit in this Fennel Salad Recipe, developed by Chef Eric Dantis.

See also Zucchini Soup With Verjus.

Fennel Salad Recipe

For an extra punch, add a small squeeze of lemon juice to the verjus vinaigrette. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• ½ fennel bulb sliced very thin with a very sharp knife or mandoline slicer
• 1 Fuji apple julienned
• 1 bunch arugula
• 1 blood orange, peeled, seeds removed and sectioned into chunks
• 1/8 cup verjus
• ¼ cup good extra virgin olive oil (use blood orange-infused extra virgin olive
  oil if you can find it—we get ours from Stella Cadente or Sonoma Farm; or from Amazon.com)
• Juice of half a lemon (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Wash the fennel bulb and remove the first outer layer if discolored. Cut off core and cut bulb in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, shave thin strips from the bulb and soak in cold water. This will keep the fennel shreds crisp.
2. Wash and dry arugula and reserve.
3. Peel blood orange and cut in quarters. Remove inner membrane where seeds are located. Cut orange from quarters down into smaller, bite-sized chunks. Reserve with any juices.
4. To julienne the apple, use a mandoline or simply cut the bottom and top off to flatten. Then lay the flat side on the cutting board and slice about 1/8 inch-thick pieces. Then stack the circles and again slice 1/8-inch pieces so you’re left with thin matchsticks. Toss with orange segments and their juices. Try to coat each apple piece to prevent oxidation of the apples.
5. In a small bowl, combine verjus with a small squeeze of lemon juice (optional) and extra virgin olive oil. Whisk vigorously. Alternatively, you can combine these ingredients in a small container and shake to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and reserve the vinaigrette.
6. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper and toss lightly. Then dress with vinaigrette and taste. Add another squeeze of lemon juice if needed for some added brightness.