Recipes and images by Amber Bremner
This spring salad is a delight, crisp and refreshing with the sweet and peppery flavours of fennel, snow peas, radish and rocket, dressed with a lip-smacking sherry vinaigrette. Mild cannellini beans add a bit of protein and make the salad more substantial. I love radish microgreens, which are easy to grow at home or buy from farmer’s markets and some supermarkets (but you can leave them out if you prefer). If you have one, use a mandolin to slice the fennel and radish thinly, otherwise just go as thin as you can with a knife.
Serves 4
Sherry vinaigrette
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp shallot or red onion, very finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
½ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp salt
good grind of black pepper
Salad
1 fennel bulb, root end trimmed and very thinly sliced
handful of snow peas (about 12), halved diagonally
3–4 radishes, tops and bottoms trimmed, and very thinly slicded
1 x 400g can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
handful of baby rocket
handful of radish microgreens (or add sprouts, or more rocket)
Start by making the vinaigrette. Toast the fennel seeds for a minute or two in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then grind in a mortar and pestle (or give them a bash with something heavy). Shake all vinaigrette ingredients together in a sealed jar.
Put all salad ingredients into a large bowl, pour over the dressing immediately (to prevent fennel from browning) and use your hands to toss everything together. Serve immediately.
