• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Fine Foods Blog
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Work With Me
  • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Work With Me
    • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes » Apple Fennel Salad

    Apple Fennel Salad

    Published: Sep 22, 2021 · Modified: Jan 8, 2023 · by Debra with Leave a Comment · 1256 words. About 7 minutes to read this article. · This post contains affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This apple fennel salad is full of fall flavors! A simple lemon dressing lets the bright flavors shine through. Only 7 ingredients!

    Apple fennel salad on a gray plate surrounded by lemons, apples, fennel fronds and walnuts.

    This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    What are your feelings about fennel? Its flavor really makes it kind of a love it or hate it situation. It's such a worldly vegetable with so many uses. But maybe I can change your mind with this apple fennel salad if you're in the hater category?

    When you discover the gorgeous anise-y flavor of fennel combined with a bite of tart/sweet granny smith apple, you'll be a convert. This is a perfect salad for the fall and winter months because it's fresh and green and crunchy and makes you feel like you're doing something a little bit good for yourself.

    Jump to:
    • Try an apple fennel salad for fall and winter freshness
    • Ingredients you'll need
    • How to make apple fennel salad
    • Tips for making apple fennel salad
    • Recipe variations and substitutions
    • Serving suggestions
    • More fall and winter salad recipes
    • Recipe

    Try an apple fennel salad for fall and winter freshness

    • This light salad is bursting with sweet and savory flavor!
    • You only need 7 ingredients.
    • It's a wonderful way to have fresh fruit and vegetables in the colder months.
    • The lemon salad dressing tastes great and keeps the apples and fennel fresh and bright.
    • You can easily swap out the cheese or nuts to change things up!
    Apples, lemons, a fennel bulb, parmesan cheese, and small bowls with olive oil, salt, and walnuts.

    Ingredients you'll need

    • Fennel: Look for fennel bulbs that are tight, heavy for their size, and are nice and white to light green. The stalks and fronds should be perky, not limp.
    • Granny Smith apples: The tartness of a Granny Smith apple works so well with the brightness of the lemon, and the anise flavor of the fennel. They also hold up well to the salad dressing and don't get soggy.
    • Walnuts: I like to use walnut pieces, as opposed to halves, to keep things bite-sized.
    • Parmesan cheese: I've said it once and I'll say it again, use real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. So worth the splurge for the flavor, saltiness, and texture.
    • Lemon juice and zest, olive oil, salt: These are the only ingredients you need for the simplest and most perfect lemon dressing.

    How to make apple fennel salad

    Adapted from New York Times Cooking.

    A small skillet with walnuts.

    Step 1: Toast the walnuts and prep the parmesan

    In a small skillet, toast the walnuts over medium low heat until they are warm and fragrant, then set aside to cool.

    Shave the parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler.

    A juicer, a zester, and a few lemons.

    Step 2: Make the salad dressing

    Use a microplane grater to zest the lemons, then juice them.

    A bowl of lemon vinaigrette surrounded by a juicer, a measuring cup and a measuring spoon.

    Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt until emulsified.

    A knife with a fennel bulb and fronds.

    Step 3: Slice the fennel and apples

    Slice off the fennel fronds, then slice the fennel in half vertically across the widest part of the bulb.

    Fennel bulbs sliced in half and cored.

    Remove the core at the bottom of the fennel bulb.

    A mandoline with fennel slices.

    Slice the fennel bulb thinly on a mandoline. If you don't have one, slice thinly with a good chef's knife.

    A mandoline with apple slices.

    Slice the apples into large chunks, avoiding the core. Then slice thinly on a mandoline or with a good knife.

    Step 4: Assemble the salad

    To assemble the salad, toss the apples, fennel and most of the walnuts in the lemon dressing and transfer to a serving plate.

    Top with remaining walnuts, shaved parmesan and fennel fronds and serve immediately.

    alt=""

    Tips for making apple fennel salad

    • Make the dressing first, and slice the apples last. This is important. You want to get those apples into that lemon salad dressing right away so they don't turn brown.
    • Using a mandoline is the easiest way to get the apple and fennel slices the same thickness for a more uniform salad. I recommend using one, but it's not required. Always be very careful of your fingers and use the guard provided.
    • Save the long green fennel stalks and use them to make stock. They are especially good in a seafood stock.
    • This salad is best when served immediately. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for about 2 days. The fennel and apple will hold up well for a quite a while once tossed in the salad dressing, but they will start to macerate, release their juices and therefore won't be as crisp.

    Recipe variations and substitutions

    • I love the how the color and flavor of Granny Smith apples complement the fennel, but you could substitute Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Braeburn.
    • For added sweetness try a bit of honey or maple syrup in the salad dressing.
    • Swap the walnuts for pecans or hazelnuts.
    • Switch out the parmesan for the saltier funk of pecorino romano.

    Serving suggestions

    Serve this salad when apples and fennel are at their peak season in fall and winter. It would shine on its own as a light lunch. Try it alongside Tarragon Roast Chicken or Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and White Wine. It's a perfect starter when you serve a Boneless Leg of Lamb or try it as a lighter counterbalance to this Creamy Pasta Bake with Bacon and Cheese.

    More fall and winter salad recipes

    Try these fall and winter salads to keep some green and freshness in your diet during the colder months of the year.

    • Now let's use some red apples and make this Kale Salad with Cranberries, Apples, and Pecans.
    • Get a little fancy and make Romaine Hearts with Blue Cheese, Pears, and Pecans. You never knew how easy it would be to make homemade blue cheese dressing!
    • Tricolore Salad is made with radicchio and endive, two chicories that are at the peak of their season in fall and winter.

    Recipe

    Fennel apple salad on a gray plate.

    Apple Fennel Salad with Parmesan and Walnuts

    This apple fennel salad is full of fall flavors! A simple lemon dressing lets the bright flavors shine through. Only 7 ingredients!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Keyword: apple fennel salad
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 250kcal

    Equipment

    • chef's knife
    • cutting board
    • mixing bowls
    • whisk
    • microplane grater
    • small non stick skillet
    • vegetable peeler
    • mandoline

    Ingredients

    • 3 fennel bulbs
    • 2 Granny Smith apples
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
    • zest of two lemons
    • 2 ounces parmesan cheese shaved from a block with a vegetable peeler
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ cup walnuts
    • fennel fronds for topping
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a small skillet, toast the walnuts over medium low heat until they are warm and fragrant, then set aside to cool.
    • Shave the parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler.
    • Use a microplane grater to zest the lemons, then juice them.
    • Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt until emulsified.
    • Slice off the fennel fronds, then slice the fennel in half vertically across the widest part of the bulb. Cut out the core at the bottom of the fennel bulb. Slice the fennel bulb thinly on a mandoline. If you don't have one, slice thinly with a good chef's knife. 
    • Slice the apples into large chunks, avoiding the core. Then slice thinly on a mandoline (or with a good knife.)
    • Toss the apples, fennel and most of the walnuts in the lemon dressing and transfer to a serving plate. Top with remaining walnuts, shaved parmesan and fennel fronds and serve immediately.

    Notes

    • Make the dressing first, and slice the apples last. This is important. You want to get those apples into that lemon dressing right away so they don't turn brown.
    • If using a mandoline, be very careful of your fingers. Be sure to use the guard provided.
    • Save the long green fennel stalks and use them to make stock. They are especially good in seafood stock.
     
    This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Salad Recipes

    • Tricolore Salad
    • Nectarine Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
    • Creamy Hungarian Cucumber Salad
    • Peach Salad with Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Vinaigrette

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Hi, I'm Debra! I love to cook and eat and travel, and cook the things I eat when I travel! I'm a detail-oriented Virgo, so it's my jam to simplify recipes and break them down into easy to follow steps. I help you bring the world to your table!

    More about me →

    Subscribe To My Enewsletter

    Get my new, and tried and true, recipes delivered to your inbox! Subscribe now!

    Gluten Free Recipes

    • Ukranian Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi)
    • Fresh Cranberry Relish
    • Pomegranate & Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
    • Basler Brunsli

    Search more gluten-free recipes

    Trending Recipes

    • Salt Baked Fish
    • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Capers, and Lemon
    • Campari and Soda
    • One Pan Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and White Wine

    Chocolate Recipes

    • Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Cookies
    • Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Tart
    • Chocolate Mousse Recipe
    • Gluten Free Almond Flour Brownies

    French Recipes

    • Romaine Hearts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pears, and Pecans
    • Mussels in White Wine Sauce (Moules Marinières)
    • French Hot Chocolate (Chocolat Chaud)
    • Eggs en Cocotte (Baked Eggs)

    Hi, I'm Debra! I love to cook and eat and travel, and cook the things I eat when I travel! I'm a detail-oriented Virgo, so it's my jam to simplify recipes and break them down into easy to follow steps. I help you bring the world to your table!

    More about me →

    Subscribe To My Enewsletter

    Get my new, and tried and true, recipes delivered to your inbox! Subscribe now!

    Gluten Free Recipes

    • Cranberry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bark
    • Dill Pickle Dip
    • Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
    • Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

    Search more gluten-free recipes

    Trending Recipes

    • Salt Baked Fish
    • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Capers, and Lemon
    • Campari and Soda
    • One Pan Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and White Wine

    Chocolate Recipes

    • Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Cookies
    • Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Tart
    • Chocolate Mousse Recipe
    • Gluten Free Almond Flour Brownies

    French Recipes

    • Romaine Hearts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pears, and Pecans
    • Mussels in White Wine Sauce (Moules Marinières)
    • French Hot Chocolate (Chocolat Chaud)
    • Eggs en Cocotte (Baked Eggs)

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Fine Foods Blog