For this recipe, the sweet, mildly licorice flavors of fennel are paired with a salty and tangy lemon sauce inspired by piccata. It’s an impressive side dish to serve at a fancy gathering or for a slow weeknight dinner. You are going to be hooked on fabulous fennel from here on out.
What Is Fennel?
You’ve definitely seen it at the grocery store or farmers market and, if you’re not familiar with it, mistakenly walked past it. Fennel is funky looking—long stalks, dill-like fronds, and a layered bulb that can make it intimidating to cook with. In my opinion, it’s one of the most underrated vegetables out there. Fennel is one of Italy’s most popular vegetables. When raw, it boasts a crisp, mild licorice flavor with hints of celery. When cooked, the flavors magically transform into sweet, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
How to Cook Fennel
This is such a simple recipe. Start by separating the three parts—the bulb, the stalk, and the fronds. The bulb gets sliced into thick wedges and caramelized in a skillet. The stalk is thinly sliced and sautéed as you would onions or celery, and the fronds are used as garnish to add brightness to the dish.
The Piccata-Inspired Sauce
My most beloved flavor combinations come from the Mediterranean: salty capers, bitter olive oil, tangy lemons, and bold garlic. Naturally, it felt right to pair fennel, native to the Mediterranean region, with a sauce inspired by the ingredients in piccata—lemon, capers, white wine, and garlic. What grows together, goes together, right? The sauce is so delicious, it’s almost drinkable. If you love it as much as I do, try it with leeks, celery, or carrots.
What Mains to Pair It With
This wonderfully versatile vegetable pairs well with just about anything. From roasted chicken to steamed fish or a juicy grilled steak, the possibilities are endless. It would make a unique main dish for the vegetarians in your life. Also, a side of crusty garlic bread for mopping up the flavorful sauce is the best idea.
Delicious Swaps to Try
Olive oil: Too bitter for you or ran out? Switch to something more neutral like vegetable oil.Capers: If these little, salted buds aren’t your thing, use pitted and chopped kalamata olives. Lemon: Sometimes it can be too sour for certain taste buds or maybe you don’t have one around. Use white wine vinegar.White wine: Use vegetable stock instead.
You Can Plan Ahead
Refrigerate each component of the fennel (picked fronds, sliced stalks, quartered bulbs) in separate airtight containers for up 1 day, so that it’s ready for you. You can cook the fennel a day before you plan to serve it. Refrigerate it, tightly covered, and reheat it, covered, slowly in the oven at 300°F for 30 minutes, until warmed through. You could also microwave it in 1-minute intervals until warmed through.
Speak of the Fennel
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Slice each bulb into 4 wedges keeping the root intact and outer layer on—the root end will help keep it from falling apart. Use your hands to pull off the fronds from the stalks. Finely chop them. Thinly slice the stalks. You should have about 1 1/4 cups. You can keep each part of the fennel on the cutting board. The sliced stalks will be used in the sauce and the fronds will be used as garish. Reduce the heat to low. Nestle the fennel bulbs back into the skillet with the outer layer facing down and touching the sauce—this layer takes the longest to cook, that is why we want to start with it down. Flip the fennel one last time to the side that has not been in the sauce yet and cook until the tip a paring knife can easily pierce through to the center, 7 to 8 minutes. Did you love the recipe? Leave us a review!
