Summer asks for fresh, easy, simple salads. Right?
At the moment, I’m obcessed with this combo. The sweetness from the apricots balances the whole dish, while the mustard dressing adds that much needed savoury punch.
Introducing seasonal fruit is a great way to break the monotony in salads, as well as some less popular veggies like fennel. At least here in Portugal, fennel is something that you don’t see in the menus very often, maybe for its strong anisy taste that can be sometimes hard to pair with.
I love fennel, both raw and cooked, and I’m not afraid to use it!
If you think it can be too strong, let me give you a tip: Slice it thinly, soak it in cool water for 30 minutes in the fridge, discard the water and taste it again. That’s right, it becomes less tangier as well as extra crispy! Ready to add to your favourite salads.
Fennel is also delicious when roasted; it becomes sweeter when caramelized and goes amazing with citrous fruits like oranges and tangerines or salty cheeses like feta (check out my recipe for this vegan feta version!).
As a note to this recipe, I’d like to add that you can stir in the dressing in advance, as it will coat all the ingredients and kind of marinate them and deepen all the flavours.
I’ve also made this salad to take to the beach and it held itself perfectly in a cooler bag.
Let’s make it!
Apricot, Fennel and Cucumber Salad
2-4 persons
Ingredients:
10 ripe apricots, cut in quarters
1 fennel bolb, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
Method:
1. Soak the sliced fennel in cool water for 30 minutes to soften the flavour.
2. Prepare all ingredients and place into a bowl.
3. Make the dressing, mix well the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard and sea salt until creamy.
4. Stir the dressing in and it’s ready to serve!
with love;
Joana