Easy Lemon Fennel And Cucumber Salad With Mint

For a simple salad that’s packed full of flavour, you’ll love this lemon fennel and cucumber salad. The zesty lemon dressing with a hint of chili is the key to bringing these simple fresh ingredients to life. It’s an ideal accompaniment to everything from fish and chicken to haloumi or plant based mains.

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What is fennel?

Fennel is is a flowering plant that’s actually related to carrots. It has similar feathery leaves on top and produces small yellow flowers. Different parts of fennel are used in cooking, including the celery like base, the feathery green leaves or fronds, and also fennel seeds.

The taste of fennel is a mild ‘anise’ flavour, similar to licorice. Fennel is definitely milder, and many people who don’t like the taste of licorice will enjoy fennel. The flavour is stronger when eaten raw and thinly sliced, like in this salad. Its taste becomes more subtle and slightly sweeter when cooked.

Fennel goes very well with citrus flavours, including orange and lemon, as well as mint.

Lemon fennel and cucumber salad ingredients

To make this simple lemon fennel salad. you’ll only need a handful of ingredients:

• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 green chili (mild flavoured long chili)
• 4 baby Lebanese cucumbers
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1/2 cup of mint leaves
• 1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves
• Additional mint leaves, reserved fennel fronds and lemon wedges to garnish

Method

In a medium bowl, add the lemon juice, grated lemon rind, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, clove of crushed garlic and the finely chopped green chili. Whisk together to combine into the salad dressing.

Rinse the vegetables and herbs and pat dry.

Cut Lebanese cucumbers in half lengthwise and then thinly slice. Remove woody base of the fennel bulk and thinly slice, reserving the fennel fronds.

Roughly tear or chop the mint leaves and parsley leaves.

Add sliced cucumber, fennel, mint leaves and parsley leaves to the bowl with the dressing and toss well to combine.

Leave the salad mixture to soften for at least 30 minutes.

Serve topped with a few reserved fennel fronts, mint and lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

Making ahead and storage

One of the great things abut this lemon fennel and cucumber salad is that it actually needs to be made slightly ahead of time. Leaving the salad ingredients to marinate in the lemon dressing for at least 30 minutes to an hour will help soften the fennel before serving.

However the salad is best enjoyed the same day as it is made.

Left over salad can be kept in the fridge in a well covered container for 1-2 days. After this the fresh herbs and cucumber will tend to go soggy.

More citrus inspired recipes

For other citrus flavoured salads, try our mandarin orange and pearl couscous salad or prawn and red grapefruit salad. Or for something sweet, a citrus fruit salad with vanilla and cardamom.

Or for another delicious fresh lemon recipe, you’ll love our lemon macadamia cookies.

There are lots more tasty citrus recipes to try on our recipes page.

And don’t forget to subscribe for more citrus inspiration for your kitchen, garden and home.

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