Fennel, Satsuma and Pomegranate Salad

Fennel and satsuma bring unchartered brightness to the table and pomegranates add a pop of color to make this fall salad a must. It pairs well with lighter fare such as fish but will hold it’s own against a hearty beef dish.

If you don’t like fennel, just use jicama. If you don’t have access to satsumas, mandarins are the perfect substitute. You can also put these ingredients on top of salad greens.

Satsuma Vinaigrette Ingredients
3/4 tsp satsuma zest
1/3 c fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/4 c fresh satsuma juice
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
1/2 tsp mustard (Creole, stone ground, Dijon, etc)
1 tsp Agave syrup or honey
1/2 c olive oil

Satsuma Vinaigrette Directions
Combine the ingredients in a 12-16 ounce jar and shake well. Taste and add more satsuma juice or olive oil (not both) as needed. This dressing should be acidic.

Salad Ingredients
3 bulbs of fennel
6 satsumas
1-2 pomegranates

Salad Directions
Slice the tops off of the fennel. You can reserve the green tops to use as a garnish on the protein of your choice that you pair with the salad.

Cut off the bottom of the fennel and stand the fennel on its cut bottom. Slice the fennel in half along the stem line. Use your non-dominate hand and hold the exterior side down on the cutting board. Using your dominate hand, cut a triangle around the core to remove it. Flip the fennel over, then slice thinly from pole to pole.

Peel the satsuma and remove any loose white strings. Pull apart in wedges.

Cut an “x” about 1/2 way deep at the bottom of the pomegranate. Over a large bowl placed in the sink, hold the pomegranate cut side down down in the palm of your non-dominate hand. Hit the top and sides of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon. You’ll want to give it several good whacks. If you’re a strong person, don’t use all of your force. Depending on the pomegranate anywhere from a few seeds to most of the seeds will fall out. Place both thumbs into the x and break the pomegranate into quarters. Then pick out the remaining arils from the peel. Even if the seeds don’t fall out, they’ll be easy to remove. Some people don’t like using this method because they say the spoon smashes the arils. I haven’t experienced that issue and this method cuts the peeling time in half for me.

Put about 2 cups of fennel on a plate, scatter 1 small satsuma on top of the fennel, and splatter pomegranate seeds on top. Generously drizzle the dressing over the salad. Make sure you coat the entire satsumas so the orange pops.

Notes
If the satsuma is coated in the dressing, they’ll look beautiful and the skin is tender so eating it isn’t a problem. If you want to go the extra step, you can remove the segment walls. Take a sharp paring knife and slice off the top and bottom of the satsuma. Stand the satsuma on the base and slice off the peel in a vertical motion. Then cut along the segment walls to release the flesh. It took me a fair bit of practice for me to have pieces look good. Know it won’t be perfect on your first ten tries, have plenty of patience and eat your mistakes.

The dressing will last about 3 weeks in the fridge.