This pear and fennel salad with apples and mustard vinaigrette is a simple, seasonal salad that is sweet, perky and perfect for Thanksgiving.
What is fennel?
Fennel is one of those vegetables you grow up either loving or hating.
Its strong anise scent is musky and fragrant, like the aftershave of a man you once loved.
Its fronds tickle the inside of your palm as you begin to slice it, like the hand of a small child beckoning you to play.
When you cut into its heart, fenel opens up fully, just like you did when you finally stopped struggling and gave in to all those feelings that love brings.
And for many of us, that melange of emotions is just too much for one vegetable... But if you have never tried fennel, or have been put off by its strong anise flavor, I encourage you to taste it in this perky, tangy pear and fennel salad with apple.
Why You'll Adore This Apple, Pear, and Fennel Salad
I enjoy this apple, pear, and fennel salad for numerous reasons:
- Sweetness - Apples, pears, and the innate sweetness of fennel create a delightful, naturally sweet taste.
- Elegance - The beautiful monochromatic presentation is eye-catching.
- Simplicity - It requires minimal effort and no special tools or ingredients.
- Ideal for autumn - The fruits and vegetables in this salad are typically found during the fall season.
- Sharpness - The distinct taste of fennel brilliantly comes to life in this pear fennel salad.
- Freshness - All ingredients are raw and bursting with flavor.
- Adaptable to various diets - The salad is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly.
- Perfect for special occasions - It’s a lovely side dish for celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashana, and Sukkot.
In conclusion, this apple, pear, and fenel salad offers an exquisite combination that easily adapts for any preference or occasion, showcasing a perfect balance of flavors, and a stunning presentation.
Ingredients
These are the seasonal ingredients you need to make this elegant salad:
- Fennel - we are going to use the bulb and the fronds for this recipe
- Bartlett pears - you can use other pears as well, but I love this salad with crisp Bartlett pears
- Honeycrisp apple - use Honeycrisp apples or other crisp and sweet apples, like Cosmic Crisp apples or Gala apples, would work as well
- lemon - we can use fresh lemon juice or bottled, but fresh always works better in salads
- Olive oil - go for either a fruity olive oil to work with all the flavors, or a peppery olive oil for contrast
- Grainy mustard - I just love the contrast of the texture of the mustard grains and the sharp tang of the mustard itself. Make sure you choose a grainy mustard!
- salt
- pepper
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Recommended ingredients and equipment
You don't need a lot of special things for this fennel salad, just fresh ingredients! However, there are a couple of ingredients and equipment I like that set it apart.
Amazon
How to make this pear fennel salad
There's very little that goes into making this apple pear salad - and the results are honestly going to amaze you.
Slice vegetables
Thinly slice apples, pears and fennel, saving the fronds for later.
Mix mustard vinaigrette
In a glass mason jar, mix lemon juice, olive oil and mustard. Seal the jar and shake it well to emulsify the vinaigrette.
Arrange fennel apple and pear salad on platter
Heap your fennel slices on a large serving platter. Top with thinly sliced apples and pears. Drizzle all of your vinaigrette on top. Top with fennel fronds.
When to serve this fennel and pear salad
I made this fennel salad several times in the past two years, once serving it with a chunk of extra-sharp cheddar, to rave reviews.
This fennel salad is great as a side for Thanksgiving. Everything here is seasonal and would look lovely on a Thanksgiving-themed table.
Apples are also customary to serve on Jewish New Year, making this a great Rosh Hashana salad recipe.
And finally, the fresh fall harvest nature of this salad means it'll be right at home at a Sukkot table as well.
All in all, you couldn’t ask for a more refreshing fall salad - and for a vegetable that is so much more than what it seems.
And if you're going to try my bulgur salad with roasted butternut squash, this salad would go beautifully on your Thanksgiving table alongside it. I love to serve it with baked salmon.
FAQ
Yes! Store the leftovers in an airtight container. They will keep for 3-4 days, but the fennel will lose its perky freshness.
You can dice the vegetables and fruit, and make the mustard vinaigrette a day in advance. Store it all separately and combine just before serving.
If you don't have fennel, you can make this salad with:
Arugula
Kale
You can omit either of these ingredients and make it into a plain apple and fennel salad, or fennel pear salad.
For more fennel recipes:
For more apple recipes:
You may also like these other apple salad recipes:
- Russian Korean-style kohlrabi salad with apples, radishes and spicy salad topper {V, GF, Paleo}
- Pan Fried Duck Breast Recipe with Berry Apple Compote
- Roasted beet, apple and goat cheese salad with walnuts & the Friday link round-up {GF}
- Apple and greens salad, or how I faced the sting of failure {V, GF, Paleo}
Pair fennel and pear and apple salad with:
Recipe
Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Pear and fennel salad with apples and mustard vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 fennel head
- 1-2 Bartlett pears
- 1 Honeycrisp apple
- juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 TBs olive oil
- ½ TB grainy mustard
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash apples, pears and fennel thoroughly. Thinly slice apples, pears and fennel, saving the fronds for later.
- In a glass mason jar, mix lemon juice, olive oil and mustard (notice that I’ve omitted the traditional sweetener in this vinaigrette – the apples and pears are going to give us all the sweetness we want, so I wanted to keep the sauce extra tart). Seal the jar and shake it well to emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Heap your fennel slices on a large serving platter. Top with thinly sliced apples and pears. Drizzle all of your vinaigrette on top. Finally, cut your fennel fronds into small bunches, and arrange them on top.
Lyn says
Everything you make looks so beautiful, clean and delicious....I will definitely have to try this over my Thanksgiving long weekend with family. Thanks
kseniaprints says
Hope you like it as much as we did!
danielle is rooting the sun says
ksenia this is the most beautiful post - your recipe, your photography, and your lyrical description of emotion and salad and fennel and love. instantly i am transported to memories, and longingly i am reminded of the deep connection we are able to share with food. thank you for this, and for sharing the perfect autumn salad. ♥
kseniaprints says
Thank you so, so much, Danielle. Fennel is a strange vegetable - I think it's the strength and diversity of reactions I get from people to this humble creation that really inspired me.
Jane says
I was hesitant at first since I haven't tasted this kind of salad yet but hey--it did not disappoint! So yummy!