Light, cool and crunchy, fennel is a perfect complement to rich autumn dishes. Grapefruit and mustard add piquancy to the mellow, mildly licorice flavor of the fennel. The salad will be different if prepared with a mandoline vs hand-slicing the fennel: shaved, the fennel becomes thin enough to drape in succulent ribbons over the citrus and greens; sliced, it makes a crisp counterpoint to the buttery lettuce and juicy grapefruit.
This salad is crisp, juicy, and fresh-flavored, a perfect antidote to the Winter blahs. White-green fennel in matchstick dice, punctuated with polka-dots of hot-pink radish and emerald-green scallions. Tarragon mustard echoes the licorice tones of the fennel, adding a snappy note to complement the peppery radishes. If the fennel bulb includes branches with tender, feathery little leaves, use them to garnish the salad for a final touch of flavor and texture.
Pomegranate seeds (arils) are wonderful in salads, contributing brilliant ruby color, sweet-tart taste, and bursts of juiciness. Fennel’s brilliant greenish-white color and gentle licorice flavor offset them perfectly. As finishing touches, scallions add a savory punch, and a simple pink-red cranberry balsamic vinaigrette rounds out the flavors.