Fennel, Mango and Grapefruit Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Traditionally fennel is paired with orange and there are many salad recipes combining these two ingredients with various dressings. While tradition is important, so is innovation. Here is a salad combining fennel with another citrus, grapefruit this time, and a touch of exotic with a few slices of fresh mango I picked up at the Asian market the other day. I made different versions of this salad a few times while working on my salad book and again it was a fresh combination of flavours and textures with a sweet and tangy dressing. To honour the mango, I made the vinaigrette with lime instead of the usual lemon. Lime brings out the best in mangos and I usually serve these two together. I also like to be inclusive in my kitchen and the limes so far have been sitting around observing the scene and not saying a word. I think they were happy to join the party and their juice splashed around in the dressing. You can garnish the salad with chopped fresh mint leaves or cilantro for an added layer of flavour. This salad is a good buffet style salad as it doesn’t suffer much from sitting a while.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients: 

1 small fennel

1 mango
1 grapefruit

Honey lemon vinaigrette (see recipe)

Directions:

Cut fennel in half. Trim root end and slice thinly on a mandolin. Cut slices vertically into shreds.

Peel and cut mango into thin sticks.

Peel the grapefruit, removing pith and membrane so you have the segments only, without the skin.

Combine the fruits with the fennel, pour some vinaigrette over and toss to mix. Add chopped mint or cilantro.

Serve with additional dressing and lime wedges.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette:

Juice from 1  lime

Zest from 1 lime, finely grated

1 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except oil and whisk. Slowly add oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Add more lime juice if you need more zest in the dressing.

Fennel, Grapefruit and Macadamia Nut Salad

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