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Sicilian orange and fennel salad with blood orange rounds, shaved fennel, green olives, and parsley on a white plate

Sicilian Orange and Fennel Salad

A classic Sicilian salad of sliced oranges, shaved fennel, red onion, and olives, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and finished with fresh herbs.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 165
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 4 medium blood oranges (or navel oranges) peeled and sliced into rounds or segmented
  • 1 large fennel bulb outer layer removed, bulb shaved thin on a mandoline, fronds reserved
  • 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained
  • 60 g Castelvetrano olives pitted, halved
  • 15 g flat-leaf parsley leaves picked, roughly torn
Dressing
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil good quality, Sicilian preferred
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice from about half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

Method
 

Prep
  1. Slice the red onion as thinly as you can and place it in a small bowl of cold water. Set aside for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
  2. Remove the tough outer layer of the fennel bulb. Set the fronds aside. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, shave the fennel bulb into slices no thicker than 2 mm.
  3. Peel the oranges with a knife, removing all the white pith. Slice into rounds about 5 mm thick, or segment them over the serving plate to catch the juice.
Assemble
  1. Arrange the orange slices across a large flat serving plate, slightly overlapping.
  2. Scatter the shaved fennel over and around the orange slices in small, loose piles.
  3. Distribute the drained red onion and halved olives evenly over the top.
  4. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
  5. Scatter the torn parsley and reserved fennel fronds over the top. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes before serving so the fennel softens slightly and the flavors come together.

Notes

If blood oranges are out of season, cara cara oranges add a pink hue and a slightly sweeter flavor that works just as well in this salad.