Photo by Zachary Cross

Want an easy and beautiful salad for a warm summer evening? Try this one with carrots and fennel.

When hunting for fennel recipes I came across many recipes for shaved fennel! I normally think of cooking fennel, but, as Mollie Katzen says in The Moosewood Cookbook  “Most vegetables can be eaten raw if cut properly…so chewing is light and delightful and not a cumbersome chore.” Although you could chop fennel finely, shaving it paper thin with a mandoline makes it the easiest to eat raw. It’s prettier, too!

Although I love multicolored carrots, I thought this salad turned out more vibrant with simply orange ones. It was a clean contrast between the orange carrot and white fennel. However, I will be sure to try it again next time I see red or purple carrots at market.

Once your fennel is sliced up and the carrots peeled (a regular vegetable peeler works well for the carrot ribbons), this salad comes together quickly. It’s simply tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. These let the carrot and fennel shine rather than covering them up.

Although a specific amount of carrots and fennel are listed, I think you can alter the ratio, whether to make do with what you have, or to your taste. I’d consider mixing up the ratio with other mild roots as well, such as Daikon radish or salad turnips. Or even with small amounts of a stronger root, such as peppery radish. Kohlrabi might be a bit much, unless it’s a very small amount.

There’s a pork chop recipe that goes with the salad. I hope to make and post about it soon.

Shaved Carrot and Fennel Salad

From Real Simple May 2018

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 small carrots
1 medium fennel bulb, very thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
¼ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Peel carrots and, using a vegetable peeler, shave into thin ribbons. Place carrots, fennel, parsley, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; toss to combine. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Garnish with more parsley and some fennel fronds.

Printable recipe here