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This Fennel, Avocado and Blood Orange Salad has all the makings of a perfect spring salad, with lots of crunch and zest.

» You might also like this Fennel & Carrot Salad or Golden Beet Salad with Toasted Spice Vinaigrette.

This is a fantastic side salad to serve for any dinner or make it a centerpiece salad at your Easter dinner celebration. It’s a huge hit because the flavors are so bold and vibrant.

When blood oranges and fennel come into season in early spring, it’s definitely time to start making salads like this one. The spring flavors really pop and bring this salad to life.

In the early spring, these vegetables are delivered in or Imperfect Foods delivery, so we seem to always have them on hand to make this delicious salad.

Ingredients You’ll Need

There are quite a few great spring ingredients in this salad, but it comes together quickly.

Fennel – Fennel is a green vegetable with a bulb-like base and long stems topped with feathery leaves. Its flavor is often described as sweet with a hint of licorice or anise.
Spinach – I always go for the baby spinach.
Red Onion – Thinly sliced.
Blood Oranges – These oranges are in season from December through April. You can use regular oranges if you can’t find them.
Cilantro – Cilantro has a very bright and citrusy flavor.
Avocado – Watch for them to be slightly soft with a solid skin.
Seasoning – Salt & ground black pepper to taste
Vinaigrette – Store-bought or use our homemade recipe

What Is a Blood Orange?

Blood oranges are a citrus fruit similar to an orange. They have a slightly tougher skin and unique flavor. The flesh can range from orange to pink to dark crimson red. The flavor is described as raspberry-like, sweeter, and less acidic than a regular orange.

Curious to try a few more blood orange recipes?

How to Make Fennel, Avocado and Blood Orange Salad

Thinly slice the fennel. It doesn’t have to be paper thin, but it’s much easier to eat when it’s fairly thin slices. I use a mandolin to slice the fennel. It’s super fast and I can adjust the slices to my preference.

For the blood oranges, you need to segment them. To do this, cut off the peel on all sides, then you can cut between the segments with a sharp paring knife, which will give you the flesh of the orange without the membrane between each piece.

Here’s a quick video that will help you learn to segment the orange, if you haven’t done it before.

This is a composed salad that you can build either in a serving bowl or on a plate. There are two larger portions or 4 small portions. It’s best to mix the whole salad together in one bowl.

Add the spinach to a bowl or plate. Top with avocado, cilantro, fennel, blood orange slices and red onion.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It doesn’t need a lot of salt, just a sprinkle to bring out the flavors in all the ingredients.

You can garnish the salad with fennel sprigs – the shoots at the top of the fennel bulb, if you have them. I love how pretty they make the final salad.

How Do You Cut Fennel For a Salad?

Cutting fennel for a salad is easy! First, slice off the stalks and the root end. Remove any tough outer layers. Cut it in half lengthwise, then cut the halves into thin slices or wedges. If you want a finer dice, cut each slice into smaller pieces. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste before tossing into your favorite salad mix.

Does Fennel Have a Strong Licorice Taste?

Yes, fennel does have a strong licorice taste. Raw fennel has a definite anise or licorice flavor that mellows when the vegetable is cooked. The intensity of the flavor varies from variety to variety, so you may find some more mild than others.

Experiment with different types of fennel until you find one that suits your tastes. I find that mixing the fennel with acid, like the apple cider vinegar in this recipe makes it a lot less potent. I don’t love licorice at all, but I do like the taste of fennel in this salad.

Tips and Notes

The dressing can be mixed up in advance and left to chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the salad.
It’s best to make the salad just before serving.
Use a mandolin to slice the fennel. It’s super fast and can be adjusted to slice different thicknesses.
The pith or white on the inside of the orange peel can be very bitter. You will want to cut as much of that off as you can.

Substitutions and Variations

If you really don’t like fennel but still want to try this salad, I would recommend using celeriac in its place. Celeriac has a very mild flavor but a similar crunch and texture to fennel. It does not have a licorice taste. It tastes more like a very mild celery.

Other substitutions you can make are:

Use arugula for a spicier taste instead of spinach
Use a regular orange if you can’t find blood oranges
Use any type of onions you like, rather than the red onions, if you’re not a fan. They are quite potent.

Other variations you can make are:

Add a protein such as grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp to make it a full meal.
Add some nuts or seeds such as pumpkin seeds, pistachio, or tasted pecans.
Add chopped fresh herbs such as mint, dill, or basil.

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