The Side Salad Reinvented
Side salads at a dinner party can be so boring and such an afterthought. Such a shame because it really doesn’t have to be. Lately I’ve been really into savory fruit salads. So when I saw Rick Martinez’s recipe for Plum-Fennel Salad with Honey-Ginger Dressing in the August issue of bon appetit I knew I had to make it for Sunday Supper immediately.
And in anticipation of the week I made extra and turned it into a nice light, summery main course for lunch!
Salad is really about good ingredient combinations and the flavors in this one really are unique and stand up against a really flavorful main but don’t overpower at all. Make it for dinner and strain off the extra juice on the bottom to use for salad dressing for the rest of the week (more on that in a future post!).
And don’t be afraid of the fennel! Guaranteed this will surprise and convert any skeptics on that ingredient use!
“Fun with Plums” Fennel Salad
Makes 4 side servings or 2 mains
For the dressing:
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 12 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger
-Salt to taste
For the salad:
- 3 large plums
- ½ small fennel bulb
To serve:
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- Olive oil
- Handful toasted sesame seeds
- Fennel fronds
Like most salads this is just about assembly, so let’s start with the dressing which you should let sit on the plums and fennel to let the flavors meld. In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, white wine vinegar, honey, ginger, and a punch of salt. Put that to the side.
Cut up the plums into thin wedges and thinly slice the fennel bulb. Fennel can be slightly intimidating to prep but it’s really not that bad. Start by cutting the fronds off the top of the bulb and then cutting the bulb in half vertically, which will expose the tough core in the center. Cut out a wedge to remove the core. Then place the each bulb half cut side down and slice thin strips. Not too bad!
Now put the plums and fennel into the bowl with the dressing, to everything to coat it in the dressing and let it sit for 30 minutes, which in addition to allowing the flavors to blend, will soften the fennel as well.
When you’re ready to serve or pack it up for lunch, toss it again adding another ½ teaspoon of grated ginger, a drizzle of olive oil, a handful of sesame seeds and some of the fennel fronds from the top of the bulb.
This one is best cold so make sure you refrigerate it when you get to the office and enjoy a really sophisticated and unexpected flavor combination in the middle of the day.