Perrin's Fennel Salad

After a rapturous experience with Berkeley's Kitchen on Fire my baby sister came home with an arsenal of Moroccan recipes and a taste for fennel. She made a fennel salad and insisted I try it. She proudly presented me with her new creation before I remembered to tell her just how much I hate licorice and anything that reminds me of it. Ouch.

One bite and I was hooked. I have been addicted to fennel ever since. Perrin makes it with homemade croutons, but I either throw in a bag of the Trader Joe’s garlic croutons or leave them out altogether. I have also added feta cheese and parsley and that was great too. It refrigerates very well since there is nothing in it to wilt. One caveat: this is the world’s crunchiest salad, particularly if you include the croutons. Your meal companions had better eat it too. Here is the recipe.

Perrin’s Fennel Salad
Ingredients:
2 bulbs of fennel
1 can of black olives
homemade croutons
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemons

Method:
Cut the fennel in half, and then cut out the core. Using the green leafy part as a handle, slice the bulb as thinly as possible. If you have a food processor this works really well. Toss in the olives and then give it a few glugs of olive oil, juice of at least 2 lemons, and plenty of salt and pepper. If you taste it and you're bored you need to add more lemon and salt. If your teeth squeak when you bite down you might need to add more olive oil. Don't be shy with the pepper either! 


Delicious add-ins are parsley, feta, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and hearts of palm. Because there is no lettuce in it, the salad lasts really well for a few days, although you might have to adjust the seasonings a little bit. 

I have never made a crouton in my life, so here is how Perrin does it in case you are inspired. 

Here is a quick demonstration of how to cut fennel if you've never done it: