Pear and Fennel Salad with Double Lemon Vinaigrette
Bright, crisp, and perfectly balanced, this Pear and Fennel Salad with Double Lemon Vinaigrette is a winter salad like no other. Sweet, juicy pears, fresh fennel, and slightly bitter radicchio combine to create flavors and textures that feel refreshing yet satisfying - a perfect complement to winter cooking. With just a handful of ingredients, this salad captures the essence of the season in every bite.
Ingredients
- 3 pears (use your favorite variety of pear)
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1/2 head radicchio
Flavored Walnuts
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 orange (zest only)
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 shallot (finely diced)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 large lemon (zest and juice)
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Make the walnuts. Begin by melting the butter in a small saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the coriander and walnuts and stir to combine and let the walnuts toast for a couple of minutes. Next, add the soy sauce and honey and stir well. Finally, add the orange zest, stir to coat and remove from the heat.
- Make the vinaigrette. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice to a small bowl along with the shallot, mustard, honey, slat and pepper, and whisk well until the salt is completely dissolved. Then, while continually whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is completely emulsified. Taste and adjust any seasoning that you like.
- Prep the Fennel. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of the fennel where the bulb ends and the stalks and fronds begin, and set those aside. Slice off a thin slice of the bottom of the fennel bulb and remove any outer layers that are damaged or brown. Next, cut the bulb in half, lengthwise. When you look at the cross-section of the bulb, you will see a triangular piece near the base - this is the core that needs to be removed. With your knife, carefully cut a V into the bulb and remove the core. Finally, place the halves, cut side down, and slice the fennel, crosswise, as thinly as you can.
- Prep the pears. Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the core with a melon baller. Cut out the stem and remove any core at the bottom of the pears. Then, standing the halves up on the cutting board, cut thin slices (about 1/4 inch thick) from top to bottom so that you have full cross-sections of the pears.
- Prep the radicchio. Cut the head in half and remove the small piece of core. Place one half cut side down and thinly slice.
- Assemble. Lay the pear pieces in a circle on a large serving platter, and then layer a second circle on top of the first, in between the pear slices. Drizzle the pears with spoonfuls of the vinaigrette. Next, add the sliced fennel and radicchio to a large bowl and dress with the vinaigrette. Add the fennel and radicchio in a nice tall pile on top of the pears, in the middle, so that you can still see the edges of the pears. Top with walnuts and picked fennel fronds. ENJOY!
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Notes
- As there are only 3 main ingredients in this salad, be sure to seek out the freshest produce.
- Pears should be ripe but firm!
- Make sure you cut the radicchio close to serving time, as it will start to oxidize once cut.
- Always dissolve the salt in the lemon juice before adding the olive oil.
- When making the vinaigrette, start by adding only 1/3 cup of olive oil and taste to see if it needs more. All lemons yield different amounts of juice, so you may not need the full 1/2 cup of olive oil. Vinaigrettes are a personal thing - you should make it to suit YOUR taste!
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 516mgPotassium: 621mgFiber: 7gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 248IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 2mg
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