This fennel salad with oranges and avocado is an amazing winter salad. It’s vibrant and refreshing, tangy and beautiful. 5 wholesome ingredients, 10 minutes to prep. This Orange and Fennel Salad tastes incredible, and doesn’t even need a salad dressing! This is definitely one of my favorite vegan fennel recipes and sure to brighten up your day.
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This Citrus Fennel Salad is one of my favorite winter side dishes. I know, cutting the citrus and the fennel can be intimidating. Fear not, I have some visuals and easy directions to guide you through to the other side. I will show you how to cut citrus for a salad the easy way. I will also show you how to trim and use a bulb of fennel. You can do this! You’re just steps away from an AWESOME low carb orange and fennel salad!
If you’re trying to include more fresh produce in your diet, this fennel salad with oranges is a great place to start. It’s low in calories, big on taste and super simple to make. I challenge you to try different greens each time you go food shopping. Make sure to put watercress on the list this week!
This is an awesome winter salad since citrus is in season from December through March. If you’re looking for more ways to include salad in your menus all winter long, check out these Winter Salad Recipes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Oranges: Bright, beautiful and loaded with Vitamin C. I used an assortment of cara cara, blood oranges and navel oranges. You could also use grapefruit, cut the same way or a combination for a super citrus avocado salad.
- Fennel: High in fiber, potassium and folate. Raw fennel is crunchy and mildly sweet, with a slight licorice flavor. Fennel is good for the digestion and has been known to help with constipation. A good substitute would be sliced celery.
- Watercress: A super green for sure, with a little bit of a peppery and slightly spicy flavor. Watercress is nutrient dense…very low in calories and high in nutrition. Packed with Vitamins K, C, and A. Watercress is also extremely high in antioxidants, bone strengthening compounds and boosts immunity. Any green leafy would be an appropriate substitution. If I don’t have watercress, I use arugula because it also has a peppery flavor and is nutrient dense.
- Red onion: Adds both color and taste along with an impressive array of antioxidants. They fight inflammation and contribute to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Shallots would be a good substitution.
- Avocado: Healthy fats so the fat soluble vitamins in the greens are absorbable. Avocados are also rich in potassium and fiber. Plus they’re creamy, dreamy and enormously satisfying. If you need a substitution, make sure it’s a healthy fat (to better absorb the fat soluble vitamins in the greens). Good choices would be a tahini drizzle, a sprinkle of chia or hemp seeds, or a dollop (or two) of pesto.
Why you will love it
- It’s fresh, light and bright…perfect to chase away the winter blues.
- Each bite is a flavor bomb of juicy, peppery, tangy, tart and sweet.
- Watercress is a superfood…and this is a simple, tasty way to enjoy it.
- The perfect citrus salad to use up those gorgeous oranges, that are otherwise just going to sit there!
- Nutrient dense….but not another BORING salad….this is a FUN winter salad recipe.
- Meal prep friendly….save the avocados for last minute, but the rest will stay good in the fridge prepped in advance.
- Serve this any time of day. Citrus fennel salad is good for lunch or brunch, side salad for dinner.
- All you need is 5 ingredients, and 10 minutes…I’ll show you how.
How do you peel an orange for Salad?
Before you begin, make sure you have washed the outside of your orange well. Oranges are heavily sprayed and you’ll want to be sure none of the pesticides get mixed in with the fruit or the juice.
Cut off the ends so you can place the orange flat on a cutting board. A sharp chef’s knife is the easiest tool to get the job done. Then, start at the top and follow the curve of the orange around towards the bottom.
Continue along all sides until the peel and pith are fully removed.
Now, cut the orange in half. Place cut side down on the cutting board. Thinly slice the orange flesh from each half to include in the salad.
How to cut a Fennel Bulb into slices for salad:
- First, wash the outside of your fennel bulb.
- Next, cut off the tops, as shown above. Set the fronds aside, as they are totally edible and make great decorations for your citrus salad.
- Cut the end off the bottom so the fennel stands upright and then slice through the center to have two halves.
- Make thin slices—either vertically or horizontally—in the fennel and then continue with the other half.
How to cut a red onion for salad
- Peel the outer, papery layer off the outside of the red onion.
- Cut the onion, through the root end, in half.
- Place the cut side down and using a sharp knife, cut into as thin of slices as you can.
Debra’s Pro Tips:
- Wash all produce well before beginning….even the citrus that you’ll peel.
- Slice the onions and fennel as thinly as you can. Use a mandolin to make this job easier.
- Have everything cut and ready to go before you open your avocado.
- If you don’t have watercress, the best substitute is arugula.
- The greens will wilt and the avocado will turn brown over time….but the sliced citrus, fennel and onions will stay good for up to a week…so don’t be shy about meal prepping those items in advance.
- Use different types of oranges for an array of vibrant colors. Cara Cara are a deeper orange than navels and blood oranges are brighter red. Throw in some grapefruit slices too. Why not?
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📖 Recipe
Orange and Fennel Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 oranges*
- 2 small bulbs fennel
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 small red onion
- 8 oz. watercress*
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and slice the oranges: Slice off the ends of the orange so it will sit upright on a flat surface. Cut from top to bottom and all around, removing the skin and the white pith. Once orange is peeled, cut in half and then thinly slice. Save peels to squeeze out any remaining juice over the salad.
- Prepare the fennel: Cut off a thin slice from the bottom and the fronds from the top. Slice in half through the core. Lay flat and then thinly slice. You can save the fronds to sprinkle over the top of the salad.
- Prepare the Onion: Cut in half, through the stem and discard papery skin. Slice as thin as possible.
- Prepare the avocado: Halve and pit. Use a knife to score cubes. Set aside and use a large spoon to scoop flesh out when ready to prepare saladPr
- Prepare Watercress: Wash well and spin dry. Discard any woody stems.
- PLATE THE SALAD: Line the bottom of a platter or large bowl with watercress. Artfully arrange layers of all other ingredients. Sprinkle with S+P and squeeze out any juice that remains in the orange peels.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Melinda
I love crunchy fennel, great idea to toss it in a salad. Yummy!!
LINDSAY HOWERTON'HASTIN
DELICIOUS! Can’t wait to make again.
Amanda Scarlati
Love how easy and delicious this salad is. The watercress adds such a delicious flavor.
Emily Flint
Orange and fennel go so well together!
kyleigh
Such a delicious healthy salad!
Lilly
I love the flavors of this salad! Thanks for the recipe!
Kristina Tipps
This is a great recipe.