Citrus Fennel Arugula Salad
Citrus fennel arugula salad with a citrus vinaigrette dressing is so refreshing and delicious, especially on a hot summer day. It pops with the peppery taste of the arugula and the anise flavor of the fennel mixed with orange and lemon flavors. I absolutely love all of these flavors together. This salad goes very well with pan seared Branzino, chicken or as a side for most everything. It is so quick and easy to make too with just a few simple ingredients.
What you need to make citrus fennel arugula salad:
Ingredients for salad:
- 1 package of baby arugula
- 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, chopped, an apple
- 2 Cutie mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1/2 medium apple, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup glazed pecans
Dressing ingredients:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- juice of a lemon
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- fine sea salt and pepper to taste
How to make citrus fennel arugula salad:
- Put 1/2 cup of olive oil, juice from one lemon, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 2 teaspoons of honey together in a Mason jar and shake well to blend. Add a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- Peel the Cutie mandarin oranges and segment them.
- Cut your apple in half leaving the peel on it (you can use Granny Smith or any type of red apple that you desire). Cut half of the apple into very thin slices.
- Chop two medium green onions with part of the green stem.
- Remove the top of the fennel and cut the fennel bulb (the white part at the bottom) in half lengthwise. Cut a wedge out of the base of the fennel bulb to remove the root and core. Place the bulb cut side down on your board and slice it thinly into strips crosswise or lengthwise.
- Place the baby arugula in the bottom of a salad bowl and then put fennel slices on top with the green onions. Arrange mandarin orange segments and apple slices on top of the greens. Sprinkle glazed pecan pieces on top of the salad.
- Serve in individual bowls and drizzle vinaigrette dressing over the top. You can toss the dressing into the salad right before serving if you are going to eat all of it. If you plan to have leftovers don’t dress the salad until you are ready to serve it as it will become soggy.
- Option: Finely grate a little fresh parmesan cheese on top of the salad before serving.
This salad will keep for about 24 hours in the refrigerator if you don’t toss the dressing into it. If you plan to have leftovers, store the salad without the dressing on it and drizzle dressing on when ready to serve.
Variations on fennel arugula salad with citrus:
- You can use other citrus fruit such as oranges like Valencia or blood orange , grapefruit or pomelo. The citrus can be sliced but it creates more juice making the greens more soggy.
- Use other types of lettuce such as baby spring lettuce mix, baby spinach or a mixture of lettuce.
- Add other types of nuts such as pistachio, chopped walnuts, or sliced almonds. Nuts are totally optional but add a nice crunch to the salad.
- You can make this a main dish salad by adding in some protein such as grilled chicken.
Other salad recipes to try:
Citrus Fennel Arugula Salad
Citrus fennel arugula salad with a citrus vinaigrette dressing is so refreshing and delicious for a hot summer day. It pops with the peppery taste of the arugula and the anise flavor of the fennel mixed with orange and lemon flavors.
Ingredients
- 5 cups baby arugula
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 Cutie mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1/2 medium apple, unpeeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup glazed pecan pieces
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- fine sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
Vinaigrette Dressing
- Put 1/2 cup of olive oil, juice from one lemon, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 2 teaspoons of honey together in a Mason jar and shake well to blend. Add a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Fennel Arugula Salad with Citrus
- Peel the mandarin oranges and segment them.
- Cut your apple in half leaving the peel on it (you can use Granny Smith or any type of red apple that you desire). Cut half of the apple into very thin slices.
- Chop two medium green onions with part of the green stem.
- Remove the top of the fennel and cut the fennel bulb (the white part at the bottom) in half lengthwise. Cut a wedge out of the base of the fennel bulb to remove the root and core. Place the bulb cut side down on your board and slice it thinly into strips crosswise or lengthwise.
- Place the baby arugula in the bottom of a salad bowl and then put fennel slices on top with the green onions. Arrange mandarin orange segments and apple slices on top of the greens. Sprinkle glazed pecan pieces on top of the salad.
- Serve in individual bowls and drizzle vinaigrette dressing over the top. You can toss the dressing into the salad right before serving if you are going to eat all of it. If you plan to have leftovers don't dress the salad until you are ready to serve it as it will become soggy.
- Option: Finely grate a little fresh parmesan cheese on top of the salad before serving.
- Makes 4-6 servings depending on size. Calories based on 4 servings.