Name: Smoked Salmon Fennel Mandarin Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: ⅓ pound salmon (smoked); 1 cup mandarines; 3 ½ cups kale; 1 cup fennel (shaved); 3 tsp peppercorn (pink); 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin); 4 tbsp mandarin (juices); ¼ tsp salt

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Smoked Salmon Fennel Mandarin Salad is a gorgeous combination of fresh and seasonal ingredients that will brighten your table this winter season. This classic holiday salad bursts the salmon smokiness, the mandarin tanginess, the fennel anise flavor and the greens peppery punch. You will love this elegant and no fuss salad!

Why you will love this recipe

– This fennel mandarin salmon salad is easy to make, and it comes together in 20 minutes!

– You can modify it by omitting the salmon and serving it as a side and you can enrich it with pistachios, hazelnuts or pomegranate.

– It is a great appetizer or you can serve it as a main in those days you need a lighter meal.

Smoked Salmon Salad Ingredients

This salad will wow with its simple but delicious combination of fresh ingredients.

Smoked Salmon:I usually opt for a good Norwegian or Scottish smoked salmon. Another great source is Canadian smoked salmon from Nova Scotia.

Mandarines: refreshing and packed with Vitamin C, they add also a pop of color to the dish. I love citrus in salads, and you can sub the mandarines with oranges such as Cara Cara, Navel or Red Blood Oranges.

Fennel is a Mediterranean vegetable that is very common in Italy. It belongs to the carrot family, but while carrots grow underground, the fennel bulb grows upwards. Fennel tastes like anise and in fact “anised-flavored” is the word used to describe it. However its taste is very mild and it has a hint of freshness. Fennel is a tender and crunchy winter vegetable that is delicious eaten raw in salads, often paired with celery, apple or radicchio. It is great also roasted. Fennel is rich in nutrients, including iron and vitamin C. It also has a mild diuretic effect, making it a great vegetable to eat when you are feeling bloated.

Pink peppercorns: I love their pink hue! In reality, pink peppercorns are berries from a tree, but they are called peppercorns because their shape resembles that of peppercorns. They are very soft and I usually break them by hand and sprinkle them over the dish only at the end.

Leafy greens: in this recipe I used baby kale as I think its pungent flavor contrast the sweetness of the mandarin and the fresh flavor of the fennel and it pairs very well with the salmon. You can also add arugula or spinach. You will have better results with thin, leafy greens as romaine or iceberg lettuce will be too crunchy and also very high in water content.

Smoked Salmon Salad Vinaigrette

Mandarine Vinaigrette: the simplest dressing ever. I must confess that I love simple dressing that enhance the flavor of the dish without overpowering it. In this case I mixed olive oil with the juice of 2 mandarines and some salt. Simple, but yet sweet, tangy and light, which is perfect as you want to still taste the flavors of this gorgeous salad!

How to make Smoked Salmon Fennel Mandarin Salad

Start by peeling the mandarines. You do not need to leave the flesh naked, but just remove the white pit as much as you can. Sliced vertically the fennel.

Take an oval flat platter and arrange the salmon. Then add in the center the greens, the fennel and the mandarines. Top with pink peppercorn.

In a mason jar or bowl mix the olive oil with the juice of 2 mandarines and some salt. Mix it and drizzle it on top.

Serving tips

Here are some tips to serve this salad, especially for those festive days when you need to be organized!

Serve the salad in a flat serving platter (as pictured). Not only the presentation looks better but will also help with serving allowing every one to take a little bit of each ingredients.

Make the dressing and Dress the salad 10 minutes before serving so that the vegetables will stay crunchy and fresh. DO NOT TOSS it, the dressing in fact will naturally go on the the bottom, and when the guests will take their portion everything will be evenly dressed.

Serve it with some toasted crostini and eventually some butter aromatized with mandarines peel.

MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR YOU

EASY SMOKED SALMON MASCARPONE LINGUINE

PASTA WITH SARDINES (PASTA CON LE SARDE): A SICILIAN RECIPE

BAKED MUSSEL RECIPE

SARDE IN SAOR (SWEET AND SOUR SARDINES)

COLORFUL ORANGE, FENNEL & BEET SALAD

Which wine to pair with Smoked Salmon Fennel Mandarin Salad

This dish pairs well with a white wine like Trebbiano from Tuscany. Its lemon and shellfish notes pair very well with the dish’s ingredients.

Another option is a classic Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli, which fruity notes goes well with seafood and especially salmon.