Indulge in a symphony of flavors with our delectable Fennel Pear Salad. Combine crisp, sweet pears, aromatic fennel, and crunchy pecans, and drizzle it with a luscious maple dressing. Get ready to savor the essence of autumn with each forkful, as the sweetness of ripe pears melds seamlessly with the earthy notes of fennel, while the maple dressing adds a touch of warmth that ties the entire dish together. "Pear" this salad with a nice crusty baguette and dig in!
I fell in love with using maple syrup in my salad dressing, when I made my Autumn Quinoa Bowl, and I recommend you give it a try! If you enjoy a good, bright and refreshing salad, you should try my Greek Caesar Salad or even my Raw Carrot Salad. Try my Greek Quinoa Salad for more of a meal salad.
Ingredients
- Fennel Bulb
- Arugula
- Pears
- Toasted Pecans
- Crumbled Feta Cheese
- Red Onion
- Maple Syrup
- Olive Oil
- Dijon Mustard
- Lemon Juice
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Start by gathering all the ingredients for the salad. This include, washing your fennel bulb, and toasting your pecans if needed.
Thinly slice the fennel, onion, and pears before assembling your salads.
Place the arugula on your plates.
Top the arugula with the fennel, pear, onion, crumbled feta, and toasted pecans.
Prepare the salad dressing by placing all of its ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until it come together. I personally like making my salad dressings in a small mason jar, making it easy to shake, and also store.
When ready to serve, pour your desired amount of dressing on the salads.
Hint: Prepare the salads in advance by plating them without the dressing. Alternatively, you could also prepare all of the elements for it, especially if you are traveling with the ingredients. Although arugula does not go soft as fast, make sure to drizzle on the dressing, right before serving. Freshly cracked pepper adds a lot on this salad, so I strongly recommend it.
Substitutions
- Lettuce - Instead of using arugula, you can use romaine lettuce or spinach, although, i really enjoy the peppery taste that arugula brings to this salad.
- Nuts - replace the toasted pecans with toasted walnuts, or roasted sunflower seeds.
- Cheese - I love the saltiness from the feta, but it can be replaced with a type of blue cheese. Since it is more traditionally paired with pecans and pears, it works great.
Storage
Store the premade salads, or its ingredients (without the dressing) in the refrigerator for up to a day. Note that, the pears may brown after being sliced. If the dressing solidifies in the refrigerator, simply bring it back to room temperature and give it a good shake or whisk to being it back to life.
Recipe
Fennel Pear Salad
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 2 tbso Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1½ tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- â…› teaspoon Freshly Cracked Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Other Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups Arugula
- 1 large Fennel Bulb , thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon Red Onion , thinly sliced
- 1 large Pear , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Crumbled Feta
- ¼ cup Toasted Pecans , chopped
Instructions
How to Prepare the Fennel
- Note: When buying the fennel for using it raw, you will want to make sure that the outside of the white part (bulb) is not damaged. Having to discard the outer layer, means losing a lot of the bulb.
- To prepare the fennel, separate the green part (fronds) from the white bulb with a sharp knife. Cut off the tip of the root from un the bulb.
- Rinse the prepared bulb to remove any extra dirt, and pat it dry. Cut the bulb vertically in 4. Make a diagonal cut on the bottom corner of each quarter, in order to remove the harder part of the core.
- Separate each layer of the fennel bulb, as if separating the layers of an onion. Slice each layer in thin sliced for the salad.
Assembling the Salad
- Separate the arugula evenly on 2 plates.
- Divide the salad topping in 2 and place them on top of the plated arugula.
- Make the dressing by combining all of its ingredients in a small bowl or a mason jar with a lid. Whisk (or shake) until the dressing emulsifies and comes together.
- When ready to serve, drizzle on your preferred amount of dressing. Serve with freshly cracked pepper and enjoy!
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