Fresh, tasty and just a little bit spicy! What more could you want from a salad?
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ingredients
directions
Using the side of a chef’s knife or the bottom of a mug, crush the olives. Tear out the pits, leaving the olives a little craggy. Scoop them into a small bowl and add the pistachios, olive oil, red pepper flakes and pepper, to taste. Using a rasp, finely grate the zest of half of the lemon over the olive mixture, season with salt and more ground pepper, to taste and set aside. It should look like a chunky relish.
Trim and discard about ½ inch from the root ends of the fennel bulbs. Thinly slice the fennel bulb crosswise, starting from the base. It doesn’t need to be paper-thin. You’re going for about ¼-inch thick slices.
Combine the fennel, mint and vinegar in a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of the remaining half of the lemon over the fennel salad. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl, catching any seeds with your other hand. Drizzle the salad with a little olive oil and season with salt. Toss until every piece of fennel is nicely coated. I like my fennel salad tangy, but you can add another tablespoon of oil if you want it less tart.
Spoon the olive relish onto a platter or plates and scatter the dressed fennel over it, trying to make it as architectural as you want. Serve immediately.