Simple summer nectarine and fennel salad with miso dressing is on the menu tonight. It’s easy and quick to throw together, deliciously juicy and hydrating – absolutely prefect for hot summer days when cooking and eating feels like a chore.
Good fennel is hard to find where I live so when I see it I grab possibly more than I need and then we have fennel in every salad I make for a week. Neither of us minds as we love its pleasant crunch and subtle aniseed flavour – it makes everyday salad a little more exciting.
While fennel is popular in Italy and a few other countries on the continent, I feel that it’s usually treated with suspicion over here. Most shoppers give it a wide berth, which is why my local supermarket tends to have old wrinkly fennel piled up on its shelf for days and then nothing at all. It’s a shame – I feel like it could do with a better PR.
In the plant world, fennel is typically paired with citrus – orange and fennel salad is a classic. It has a subtle flavour so it goes really well with lots of fruit – in fact, this isn’t my first fennel salad featuring fruit – I have made it with roasted grapes, roasted sweet cherries and blackberries too.
This time I decided that fennel and nectarines are a delightful pairing and that’s how this fennel salad came about. It makes for a perfect starter or a side dish and I am pretty sure that your guests will appreciate the summery combination of crunchy fragrant fennel and sweet juicy nectarines – it’s to die for. The two stars of the show are brought together by a simple lemon miso dressing, a handful of toasted almonds and fresh coriander.
This fennel salad is simple and quick to make and as both fennel and nectarines are in season now, grab them next time you are shopping for groceries and see how you like them together.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
FENNEL: Look for the freshest fennel you can find – the exterior of the bulb should be greenish white and not look dehydrated or wrinkled. You can use the entire vegetable including the fronds, the only thing I tend to discard is a small portion of the base as it tends to be dirty. If the bulb is looking a little rough too I peel it with a speed peeler (after giving it a good wash first, of course).
NECTARINES: Use juicy and ripe nectarines that yield a little when pressed gently with a finger. I used yellow flesh ones but white flesh ones are just as good. If you can’t find nectarines, other stone fruit will work wonderfully too – peaches, apricots, plums and even cherries – as long as they are sweet and juicy.
ONION: I used some red onion to give this salad a subtle savoury kick. I am not a massive raw onion fan – I find them too harsh in most contexts – so that’s why I didn’t use a lot. I also submerged it in boiling water to take the harshness out. You don’t have to do it if you enjoy prominent raw onion flavour in your salads. You can also quick pickle the lemon by placing it in 2 tbsp of lemon juice mixed with 2 tbsp of water, it will turn a beautiful pink colour.
OLIVE OIL: I used extra virgin olive oil to make the dressing.
LEMON: Lemon and fennel are a classic combination, plus lemon goes really well with the sweetness of nectarines so I added a zest of one lemon and juice of half a lemon to the dressing. You can use more if you would rather have a tangier dressing, of course.
MISO: I added a tablespoon of white miso (also known as shiro miso) to the dressing to deepen the flavour. If you don’t have it, why not change tack and add wholegrain mustard to the dressing instead. It will be different but also nice! In fact, I often add both of them.
MAPLE SYRUP: I added a tiny bit of maple syrup to the dressing to balance out the acidity. You may want to use less or more, depending on your palate and the acidity of the lemons you used.
CORIANDER: Fresh coriander (cilantro for the US readers) goes really well with all of the ingredients of this fennel salad. If you are not a fan, basil or mint are also great choices.
ALMONDS: Every good salad needs a bit of a crunch and this fennel salad does too. I opted for lightly toasted – toasting gets more flavour out of nuts – and roughly chopped almonds. You could use other nuts instead – pistachios would be my second choice and they will look pretty too.
FENNEL SEEDS: I added some toasted and crushed fennel seeds to reinforce aniseed flavour that fresh fennel contributes to this fennel salad. You can skip them if you wish.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) MAKE THE DRESSING
Zest lemon into a small bowl. Add miso paste and juice of half a lemon (2 tbsp). Whisk until homogenous, then add olive oil and maple syrup. Salt and pepper to taste.
2) PREPARE SALAD INGREDIENTS
Slice fennel really thinly, using a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Cut nectarines into slim segments, chop coriander well, and thinly slice the onion. Submerge sliced onion in boiling water for a few seconds if you want it to taste less harsh. Alternatively, you can also quick pickle the lemon by placing it in 2 tbsp of lemon juice mixed with 2 tbsp of water, it will turn a beautiful pink colour. Toast almonds and chop, toast fennel seeds and crush them roughly in a pestle and mortar.
3) DRESS
Place sliced fennel, chopped coriander, crushed fennel seeds and the dressing in a mixing bowl – toss well to coat. Adjust seasoning to taste.
4) SERVE
Arrange dressed fennel on a platter along with slices of nectarine. Top with chopped almonds and extra coriander leaves.
- 20 g / 1 heaped tbsp white (shiro) miso paste*
- 1 juicy lemon, zest & 60 ml / 4 tbsp juice
- 1 tsp / 5 ml maple syrup
- 30 ml / 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- big handful of almonds (or almond flakes)
- 2 juicy nectarines
- ¼ red onion*, really thinnly sliced
- salt & pepper
- 30 g / 1 oz fresh coriander (or basil), leaves chopped
METHOD
- Zest lemon into a small bowl. Add miso paste and juice of half a lemon (2 tbsp). Whisk until homogenous, then add olive oil and maple syrup. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Shave fennel really thinly using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Toast fennel seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant – transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush well.
- Toast almonds in the same frying pan until lightly charred and fragrant. Chop roughly.
- Place sliced fennel, chopped coriander, crushed fennel seeds and the dressing in a mixing bowl – toss well to coat. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Arrange dressed fennel on a platter along with slices of nectarine. Top with chopped almonds and extra coriander leaves.
NOTES
*RED ONION: to make it taste a little less harsh, I pour boiling water over sliced onion for a few seconds, then drain.
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