Best 7 Fresh Fennel Recipes

SAUTé OF FRESH FAVA BEANS, ONIONS, AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, cool and peel outer skins (do not cook or peel lima beans).
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel bulb; sauté 5 minutes. Add favas or lima beans and fennel seeds; sauté 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and 2 tablespoons dill; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in pancetta and savory, adding more broth if mixture is dry. Simmer until favas are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Mix in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• Pancetta, Italian bacon cured in salt, is available at Italian markets, some supermarkets, and some specialty foods stores.

CABBAGE, FRESH FENNEL, AND CARROT SLAW

Steps:

• Combine cabbage, fennel, onion, and carrot in large bowl. Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, and hot sauce in medium bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add dressing to cabbage mixture; toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Transfer to serving bowl.

PAN-ROASTED SALMON WITH FRESH ONION AND FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and swirl to coat pan. Add salmon, skinned side up, and sear until golden, about 3 minutes. Flip salmon, and transfer to oven. Roast 5 minutes (for medium).
• Toss together fennel, pea shoots, onion, cilantro leaves, vinegar, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt.
• Slice tomatoes, and arrange on 4 plates. Season with salt, and top with salmon. To serve, top with salad, and drizzle with oil. Season with salt, and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

GRILLED FRESH SARDINES WITH FENNEL AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Cook fennel:
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook fennel, onion, preserved lemon rind, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add water and braise, covered, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very tender and slightly caramelized and water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Keep warm, covered.
• Grill sardines while fennel cooks:
• Rinse sardines and pat dry, then spread out on a platter. Drizzle sardines with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt, fennel seeds, and pepper.
• Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot. Oil grill pan and grill sardines, in 2 batches if necessary, turning over once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total per batch. Transfer as cooked to a clean platter with a slotted spatula.
• Stir together lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Serve sardines on fennel mixture sprinkled with dill and drizzled with lemon dressing.

FRESH FENNEL MEDLEY

Steps:

• Trim long stalks from fennel down to the bulb.
• Chop and reserve 2 tablespoons of feathery greens from stalks.
• Slice bulb into thin strips.
• Prepare a medium skillet with cooking spray.
• Heat oil in skillet; saute fennel strips and onion until fennel is crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped fennel greens.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Chop the onion and two of the figs coarsely and put them in a saucepan large enough to hold all the fennel. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, cut the dark green ends away from the fennel and reserve for other use or discard. Cut the rest lengthwise into quarters and add them to the pan.
• Cover the pan tightly and let the fennel cook at a very low simmer until it is tender, about 30 minutes. (Note: It is not necessary to cover the fennel with liquid; it will cook evenly in the tightly covered pan.)
• Remove the fennel from the pan juices.
• Puree the pan juices in a food processor or blender, adding lemon juice to taste. Taste for seasoning.
• To serve, cut the tips from the remaining figs and cut them lengthwise into thin slices, leaving them attached at the base. They will fall open into a fan shape. Place one at the edge of each of eight small salad plates.
• Overlap two fennel quarters at the center and spoon some of the puree over the fennel.
• Garnish the rest of the plate with a handful of greens and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

FENNEL SALAD WITH APPLES AND FRESH CORN

Steps:

• Remove the tough outer leaves of the fennel, cut off the tops and bottoms throw them out. Cut each bulb in half and cut out the cores, discard them.
• Cut each bulb in half lengthways, then slice as thinly as possible.
• Keep skin on apple and cut them as thinly as possible.
• Cut red onion as thinly as possible.
• With a knife cut along the core of cooked corn in order to remove kernels.
• Mix together ingredients for the vinaigrette and pour over salad.
• Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.