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This arugula fennel salad is my go-to. I make it for company, weeknight dinners, and parties, and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love it.
It takes about ten minutes and there’s no cooking. Shave the fennel, whisk the dressing, toss it together. The dressing keeps in the fridge for days, so if you’re feeding company you can make it ahead and dress the greens right before serving.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Arugula. Look for it in a box instead of a bag when you can. Bagged leaves are usually crushed at the bottom.
Fennel. One bulb, shaved thin. A mandoline gets it thinner than a knife, which is what you want here.
Parmigiano Reggiano. Grate it fresh off the wedge for the dressing, the pre-grated stuff has anti-caking agents that keep it from melting into the dressing the way you need it to. Grab extra to shave over the top too.
Lemon. You’ll use the zest and the juice, so buy one you can zest, not the bottled juice.
Honey and Dijon. The two that make the dressing what it is. Any smooth dijon works.
Olive Oil. Streamed in slowly, it’s what brings the dressing together.
Variations
Greens: Arugula is what I use, but a spring mix, butter lettuce, or even kale all work. If you go with kale, massage the dressing in well, it needs the extra help to soften.
Cheese: Pecorino or grana padano instead of the parmigiano.
Fruit: Thinly sliced apple, pear, or orange for a sweet contrast against the peppery greens.
Nuts: Toasted almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts for crunch.
Make it a meal: Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or chickpeas and it’s dinner instead of a side.
How to Shave Fennel
Fennel throws people off because of the stalks and fronds, but the part you want is just the bulb. Cut the long stalks off the top, trim the browned bottom off the base so the bulb sits flat, then stand it up and cut straight down through the middle to halve it. There’s a hard triangle of core at the bottom of each half, cut it out and toss it, it never softens and you don’t want it in the salad.
From there you’re shaving. A mandoline gets the fennel thin enough that it bends into the greens instead of sitting on top in stiff chunks, and thin is the whole point here. If you don’t have one, a sharp knife works, just go as thin as you can and take your time. Squeeze a little lemon over the shaved fennel while the dressing rests so it doesn’t brown before you toss everything together.
Don’t throw out the fronds. They taste like a mild, tender herb, closer to dill than to the bulb, so you can whisk a chopped handful into the dressing, freeze them for stock, or blend them into a pesto. They keep in the fridge a few days if you’re not using them right away.
Nadia’s Tips
- Use your hands, not tongs. Add the dressing and work it into the greens with clean hands, getting it onto every leaf. It coats more evenly than tossing with tongs, and this dressing is thick enough that tongs tend to leave some leaves bare and others gapped. If you swap in kale, this step matters even more, really work it in, since kale needs the help to soften and arugula doesn’t.
- Make the dressing ahead. This is the part you can get out of the way. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and it only gets better as it sits since the flavors have time to come together. Give it a stir before you use it.
- Prep, but don’t dress, ahead. You can shave the fennel and have the greens washed and ready, but don’t combine everything until right before serving. Dressed and sitting, the salad goes soft. Keep the components separate and toss at the last minute.
Other Salad Recipes
Fennel Apple Salad: Shaved fennel and crisp green apple in a creamy manchego dill dressing, finished with toasted almonds.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Fennel and Manchego: Tender butter lettuce and shaved fennel with aged manchego in a honey dijon dressing.
Arugula Apple Salad: Peppery arugula and thin green apple with aged white cheddar, fried almonds, and a red wine dijon dressing.
Sesame Handheld Salads: Mini romaine halves you dip into a sesame maple dijon vinaigrette, topped with toasted sesame seeds.
Handheld Wedge Salad: Handheld romaine wedges with blue cheese dressing, crispy bacon, and tomatoes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Raw, it’s crisp and juicy with a light anise flavor, somewhere between celery and fresh basil. In this salad it tastes clean and refreshing next to the peppery arugula.
Yes, and raw is how it’s used here. You eat the bulb, shaved thin so it’s tender enough to fold into the greens. The stalks are tough and stringy raw, so save those for stock, and the feathery fronds go into the dressing or on top.
My favorites are Local Hive and Nature Nate’s.
Equipment
- Bowl
- whisk
- mandoline (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated, plus more shaved for topping
- 2 lemons
- 1 ½ tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp dijon mustard
- salt, to taste
- ⅓ cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
- 1 fennel bulb, shaved
- 5 oz arugula, 1 container
Instructions
- Honey Dijon Dressing: Whisk together the parmigiano, the zest of 1 lemon, the lemon juice from 1 ½ (save the other half for later), honey, dijon, and salt in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time, whisking constantly, until the dressing thickens and comes together smooth. Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes.⅓ cup parmigiano reggiano, 2 lemons, 1 ½ tbsp honey, 1 ½ tsp dijon mustard, salt, ⅓ cup olive oil
- Trim and Shave the Fennel: Cut the stalks and fronds off the fennel bulb. Halve the bulb through the root and cut out the core. Shave the halves thin on a mandoline or with a knife. With the left over lemon, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the fennel so it doesn't discolor while the dressing rests.1 fennel bulb
- Assemble: Add the arugula and fennel to a bowl. Massage in the dressing. Top with shaved parmigiano.5 oz arugula
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In your Fennel & Arugula Salad you listed 1.5 lemons in the ingredient list. But then in the Directions you list “juice of 2”. Did you use the juice of 1.5 or 2 lemons? thank you
Hi Cynthia, I used the used of 1.5! My mistake, thank you for catching it.
I am forever thought about this, thanks for putting up.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, my husband loves it and it’s now in our rotation on repeat:)
Yes 🙌 This is my go-to salad! I’m so glad you guys love it!
Amazing salad! Every recipe I’ve made of yours was delicious. I had Meyer lemons at home so that’s what I used and I added a touch more honey because I like my dressing a little on the sweet side. It was simple and absolutely delicious! Thank you
Hi Valerie,
Yes! This is my go-to salad. I love this dressing! I’m so happy you love it too. Thanks for the review!
Excellent salad!!
Thanks Curtis!
So simple but impressive, and really delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
This is my go-to for salads. I’m so glad you liked it!