This Caramelized Fennel Salad transforms fennel into the star of your table! Caramelizing the fennel brings out its natural sweetness, making it the perfect match for tangy goat cheese and salty pancetta, all arranged on a bed of bright greens.
What You’ll Need
This fennel salad brings together the perfect balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy elements to create an irresistible dish. A full list of ingredients with measurements is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Red Wine Vinegar – Vinegar adds a tangy zip that brightens up the whole dish.
- Honey – Just a touch of honey adds natural sweetness.
- Dijon Mustard – Dijon adds depth and a little extra kick to the vinaigrette.
- Garlic – Use freshly grated garlic for the best flavor.
- Coarse Kosher Salt – Salt enhances the other flavors in the dish.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Pepper adds a little heat and rounds out the dressing.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – This is the base of the vinaigrette and it’s used for cooking the fennel too, so go for the good stuff!
- Fennel Bulbs – When caramelized, fennel transforms from crisp and licorice-y to buttery and slightly sweet, making it the perfect ingredient to spruce up a salad.
- Pancetta – Salty, savory, and crisped up to perfection, pancetta gives this salad its irresistible umami flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – Butter helps to caramelize the fennel.
- Sugar – Just a sprinkle of sugar helps to sweeten the fennel.
- Mixed Greens – Greens are the base that balances out all the richer elements in the salad.
- Shallot – Mild and just a little sweet, shallots add sharpness and a bit of crunch.
- Herbed Goat Cheese – Creamy, tangy, and full of herby flavor, goat cheese complements the other ingredients in the salad.
- Pine Nuts – These nuts add even more texture to the salad. Be sure to toast them for the best flavor and crunch factor.
- Lemon – You’ll want the zest and juice to brighten everything up!
- Pita Bread – Pita is perfect for soaking up the vinaigrette. You can grab it at the grocery store or make your own pita bread.
- Flaky Sea Salt – Use the sea salt to finish off the dish and tie everything together.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Turning simple ingredients into a restaurant-worthy fennel salad is easier than you might think. The key is cooking the fennel in batches to ensure the slices have plenty of room in the pan to caramelize.
- Create the vinaigrette. Combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, freshly grated garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Then, drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.
- Prep the fennel. Use a sharp knife to cut off the stalks and root end from each bulb, saving some of the fronds for garnish later. Then, slice the bulbs uniformly so they’ll caramelize evenly when cooked.
- Cook the pancetta. Place the diced pancetta in a pre-heated pan. Cook until the fat renders and the pieces turn golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Caramelize the fennel. Add butter and olive oil to the leftover pancetta fat in the pan. Place enough fennel slices to cover the pan bottom without crowding. Add sugar and salt, then cook until golden brown before turning the fennel over to caramelize the other side. Then, remove the fennel from the pan and do the same with the remaining fennel in two more batches.
- Assemble the salad. Place the mixed greens on plates to create the base of the salad. Arrange the shallot rings, crispy pancetta, and caramelized fennel over the greens. Dot with crumbled goat cheese and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.
- Finish with flair. Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette over each salad. Zest some fresh lemon over the top and squeeze a bit of juice for brightness. Top the salad with flaky sea salt and serve immediately with pita bread.
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- Salt – The kosher salt helps develop caramelization on the fennel, and the finishing flaky salt adds crunchiness and bursts of flavor. The pancetta brings a little saltiness to the table, too!
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- Seasoning – The black pepper and garlic add a subtle warmth that complements the sweetness of the caramelized fennel.
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- Sauces – The red wine vinaigrette acts as the perfect sauce to tie all of the elements together. The honey and Dijon create a silky emulsion that clings to all of the components of the salad.
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- Swaps – Don’t have pancetta? Crispy bacon works beautifully as a substitute. Goat cheese can be swapped for feta or even Boursin, and walnuts or almonds can replace pine nuts. For a vegetarian version, replace the pancetta with roasted mushrooms.
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- Senses – As the fennel caramelizes, the aroma of sweet anise wafts throughout the kitchen — everyone will be excited for this meal to be ready! Once you’ve assembled the salad, the visual contrast of the golden-brown fennel against the white goat cheese and bright greens creates an impressive presentation, and each bite offers an array of textures – the crunch of pine nuts, the melt-in-your-mouth fennel, and the creamy cheese come together for a sensory experience in this salad.
Round It Out
This caramelized fennel salad works well as a starter or as a main course if you’re looking for a lighter meal. For a complete dinner, serve it alongside a simple pasta like carbonara or a creamy risotto. The caramelized elements also pair perfectly with proteins like chicken piccata or salmon.
Storage and Freezing
This salad is best enjoyed fresh when the fennel is warm and the greens are crisp, but individual components can be prepped ahead, too.
How to Store
Leftover assembled salad will keep for about a day, though the greens may wilt. Store any remaining components separately, if possible — caramelized fennel will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The vinaigrette stays fresh for up to a week when refrigerated.
Can I Freeze Fennel Salad?
Fennel salad doesn’t freeze well. But if you have extra caramelized fennel, it can be frozen for up to a month and repurposed in other dishes.
Recipe FAQs
Look for fennel bulbs that are firm, white, and heavy for their size with no brown spots or splitting. The fronds should be fresh and green, not wilted or yellowing. Medium-sized bulbs often have the best flavor — very large ones can sometimes be tough.
Absolutely! Replace the butter with olive oil, skip the pancetta, and swap the honey for maple syrup in the vinaigrette. For the cheese, either omit it or use a plant-based soft cheese alternative.
First, remove the stalks and trim the root end so the bulb can sit flat on your cutting board. Cut the bulb in half from top to bottom through the core, then slice each half into ½-inch pieces. The core will help hold the layers together as you slice. For more uniform pieces, you can also use a mandoline slicer set to the appropriate thickness.
More Mouthwatering Salads
Want more salads that are anything but boring? Take a look at these recipes that will help you sneak in those veggies in a way that will make you look forward to mealtime!
Fennel Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic , grated
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
- 3 whole fennel bulbs
- 5 thick slices pancetta , diced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , divided
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1 shallot , thinly sliced into rings
- 4 ounces herbed goat cheese , crumbled
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts , toasted
- 1 lemon
- 4 slices pita bread
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
For the vinaigrette:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Whisk in the ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil until emulsified. Set aside until ready to use, giving it one more good whisk before drizzling.
For the salad:
- Trim the 3 whole fennel bulbs by slicing off the root and top of the stalk, reserving the fronds for garnish. Slice each bulb into ½-inch-thick slices. Set aside.
- Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 5 thick slices pancetta and sear until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to the plate.
- In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then enough fennel slices to cover the bottom of the pan. This should be approximately one-third of the slices. Sprinkle the fennel with a few teaspoons of the sugar and coarse kosher salt. Cook until the fennel is golden brown on the bottom, then flip and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the next 2 batches.
- On 2 or 4 plates, evenly divide the 2 cups mixed greens, minced 1 shallot, pancetta, fennel, crumbled 4 ounces herbed goat cheese and 2 tablespoons pine nuts. Drizzle liberally with the prepared vinaigrette, then top with fresh lemon zest and a spritz of fresh lemon juice. Serve with a slice of pita bread and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
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