Fennel Salad with Mandarin & Blanched Almonds

This fennel salad is light, fragrant and textural - crisp fennel, sweet mandarins and creamy almonds will delight your guests and leave them craving for more.

I never would have thought that blanching almonds would change their texture so much. Soaking your almonds results in a beautiful creamy texture, which just adds another dimension to this fennel salad.

How to Blanch Your Almonds

Blanched almonds are simply almonds that have had their skins removed to reveal a creamy white nut for a butterier, less bitter taste.

This can be achieved in one of three ways, by soaking overnight, by soaking in hot water or by boiling.

METHOD 1 - Overnight

1. Fill a bowl with cold water and add your almonds, make sure that they are fully covered.
2. Cover your bowl with cling film or with a plate or towel and let them stand overnight.
3. The next day, drain your almonds in a colander and if you pinch the nut from the base, the entire skin should easily slip off in one piece.
4. Then thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels to use in your recipe.

METHOD 2 - Soaking

1. Fill a bowl with boiling water and add your almonds, make sure that they are fully covered.
2. Cover your bowl with a plate or towel and let them stand for 20-30 minutes. Test by taking out a nut and see how easy it is to remove the skin.
3. Drain the almonds in a colander and then pinch the nut from the base and the entire skin should easily slip off in one piece.
4. Then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels to use in your recipe.

METHOD 3 - Boiling

1. Fill a small saucepan of water and bring it to the boil.
2. Add your almonds and simmer until the skins just begin to look a little wrinkly. (approximately 2 minutes). Test by taking out a nut and see how easy it is to remove the skin.
3. Drain the almonds in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool them quickly. Then pinch the nut from the base and the entire skin should easily slip off in one piece.
4. Then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels to use in your recipe.

Storing your blanched almonds

If you plan on storing your blanched almonds make sure they are dried completely. Simply leave them covered in a warm dry place for several hours (approximately 6-8 hours).

For this recipe we are looking for a soft creamy texture to compliment the crisp fennel, so leave your almonds in hot water until you are ready to use them.

How to Make It

1PREPARE INGREDIENTS
Wash the fennel, cut off the base, the hardcore and any damaged parts. Shred finely either by using a mandoline/v-slicer or a sharp knife. As fennel discolours easily, place it in a bowl and fill with cold water until you are ready to use.
Reserve the fennel fronds from your bulbs and roughly chop.
Peel your mandarins, remove the pith, separate them into segments then cut them in half lengthways.

2SHAKE UP DRESSING Add all your vinaigrette ingredients to a glass jar, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper then shake until emulsified.

3ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Drain your fennel in colander and pat dry with a towel, transfer to a large mixing bowl, add your mandarins and fennel fronds.
You will not need all of the dressing just gradually pour the dressing over your salad until all the ingredients are well coated and reserve the remaining dressing for another salad. (it is great with salad greens and avocado).
Then season your salad with salt and pepper, toss well until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Arrange in a salad bowl, serve and enjoy!

What about the leftover almond skins?

Don't waste those precious almond skins, they are full of antioxidants, vitamin E and promote good bacteria in your gut.

Place them on a baking tray and dry them in a hot oven until crisp (approximately 5-10 minutes). Allow them to cool completely and grind to a powder using a small food processor.

Add them to your smoothies, sprinkle them on your salads or even use them in your baking.

Serving Suggestions

A wonderful salad to serve with chicken or fish and that is also suitable for paleo, vegan and vegetarian eaters and gluten-free as well.

Try it with…

• A whole baked snapper
• Chicken tenderloins
• Or with a vegan nut roast

Try some more of our Almond Salad Recipes:

Recipe Card

Fennel, Mandarin and Blanched Almond Salad

This Fennel, Mandarin and Blanched Almond Salad is light, fragrant and textural - crisp fennel, sweet mandarins and creamy almonds will delight your guests.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

* Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: Intermediate

Servings: 8 as a side

Calories: 115kcal

Equipment

• Mandoline / V-Slicer

Ingredients

For the salad

• 3 medium fennel bulbs (you will need approximately 1kg of fennel to make 500 grams of shaved fennel)
• ⅓ cup fennel fronds (use chopped dill if the fronds on your fennel are sparse)
• 4 medium mandarins (approximately 640 grams)

For the citrus vinaigrette*

• ⅓ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
• ½ tablespoon lemon zest (approximately the zest from 1 lemon)
• ½ tablespoon lime zest (approximately the zest from 1 lime)
• ½ tablespoon orange zest (approximately the zest from 1 orange)
• ½ tablespoon mandarin zest (approximately the zest from 1 mandarin)
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2 tbsps lime juice
• ½ tablespoon orange juice
• ½ tablespoon mandarin juice

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

• Blanch your almonds either by soaking them overnight or by boiling them in a small saucepan for 2-3 minutes, once the skins are wrinkly, allow to cool and then peel them (keep the white almonds in hot water until you are ready to use them in your salad).
• Wash and trim your fennel (reserve the fronds). Remove the core and slice thinly either with a sharp knife or with a mandoline/v-slicer.
• As fennel discolours place it in a bowl with cold water until you are ready to use.
• Roughly chop your reserved fennel fronds to make ⅓ cup).
• Peel your mandarins, remove the pith and seeds, separate them into segments then cut them in half lengthways.
• Add all your vinaigrette ingredients to a glass jar, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper then shake until emulsified.
• Drain your fennel in a colander and pat dry with a towel, transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the rest of your ingredients.
• You will not need all of the dressing just gradually pour the dressing over your salad until all the ingredients are well coated and reserve the remaining dressing for another salad.*
• Season your salad with salt and pepper, toss well until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
• Arrange in a salad bowl, serve and enjoy!

Notes

• You will not need all of this vinaigrette, reserve the leftovers to use in another salad. It is great with salad greens and avocado!

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 568IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

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