Fennel Apple Salad with Cider Tahini Dressing – A crunchy flavorful salad with fennel, apple, walnuts and pomegranates dressed with a creamy, sweet and tangy vegan dressing.
Those of you who subscribe to my newsletter know that I had a baby girl in May of this year. It’s a huge blessing and we are so grateful for our sweet little one. I stepped away from the blog for a bit; I wanted to take some time and just enjoy being with her. I’m slowly finding my way back to the kitchen, just in time for the High Holidays.
With a newborn in the house, I am focusing on a low-stress menu with several make-ahead dishes. I’ll be juggling a 4-month old while prepping for our meal, so quick and easy is the name of the game. Of course, I don’t want to sacrifice on flavor. This Fennel Apple Salad with Cider Tahini Dressing checks all the boxes. Easy? Check. Can be made ahead? Check. Scrumptious and holiday-worthy? Check, check, check.
As a bonus, this salad incorporates a few of the symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah. Apples and honey are traditionally eaten to signify a sweet new year. You can use agave or date honey to keep the dressing vegan. Pomegranates are often eaten as a “new fruit” of the season.
Afraid of fennel because it has a licorice taste? This salad is worth trying, even if you’re not a big fan of licorice. The fennel flavor is pretty mellow, and you can omit the green fronds to make it even mellower. The creamy, tangy tahini dressing helps to mask any overpowering licorice flavor. My friend Sandra tried this salad and declared it was the first time she had enjoyed fennel. She also asked for seconds. I’m guessing you will, too!
Fennel Apple Salad with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 fennel bulbs sliced thin
- 2 green apples cored and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup chopped fennel fronds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey (use date honey or agave to make it vegan)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts toasted
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
NOTES
Instructions
- Prepare the fennel and apple slices, making sure to slice each very thin. To slice the fennel, slice the bulb from the stalks.
- Slice the bulb in half, top to bottom.
- Use a smaller knife to cut out the core from each half.
- Place the flat side of each half bulb on the cutting board. Slice downward to make thin strips.
- Remove fennel fronds from the stalks and chop them to make 1/2 cup of fronds. Remove any tough stems.
- For the apples, slice in half and use a melon scoop to remove the core - or you can use an apple corer for this step.
- Slice downward at a slight angle to create thin slices. You can also slice fennel and apple on a mandoline to a width of 2 mm (1/10 inch) if desired.
- In a blender combine apple cider vinegar, tahini, honey and salt. Blend ingredients on low, then increase blending speed to medium. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify the dressing.
- Combine sliced fennel, sliced apples, and fennel fronds in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the fennel, apples and fronds and toss gently to combine.
- Garnish salad with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Taste and add additional salt to taste, if desired. Serve. This salad can be made ahead and tossed with dressing up to 24 hours prior to serving. If making ahead, reserve the pomegranates and walnuts to garnish just before serving.
Nutrition
I was really skeptical of this at first for three reasons
1 I have never used fresh fennel
2 I am NOT an ACV fan
3 I am a little wary of anything called a salad that isn’t greens and veggies
As such I would not have picked this out to make probably ever. However, a friend with a more open mind and I have sent me this recipe to make for their Rosh Hashanah party. I was like whatever, it’s your party, so I made it. And it was so good. So good. The honey and tahini dad a wonderful job of taming the Apple cider vinegar, so you hardly even notice it is there. And the fennel is delightful, and wonderful pairing with the apples and not strong tasting at all! We will be making this again! Thank you for helping me grow as a cook!
Keely, I am so glad you tried this and loved it!
Hi, I made the dressing and it is very thick. Is that the consistency it should be? If not should I just add olive oil to make it thinner?
It’s supposed to be thick, yes. If it seems too thick (like it won’t incorporate or “spread out” into the salad), your tahini may have been quite thick and pasty – in which case you can add more olive oil to thin it out.
I am very excited to make this recipe I have a few questions. 1. What type of Tahini do you use? I am assuming not the dipping kind but the unflavored one. 2. Do you think I could substitute balsamic vinegar for the apple cider vinegar? Not a big fan of ACV
1. Unflavored pure tahini paste. 2. I would use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar instead.
This salad was a big hit. Even my husband, who is the salad king loved it. I didn’t have apples so I used Japanese pears instead. (I peeled them) and followed the rest of the recipe. Wonderful. I will definitely be serving it for Rosh Hashanah. Thank you for sharing.
Very glad you enjoyed it! L’shana tova. 🙂
Good fennel-cutting instructions, &all your work.
Welcome back, Tori–and BIG Mazal Tov to you and your sweet family!
This recipe looks wonderful, and before I purchase fennel, I’d like to know what I can use the rest of the vegetable for (so I don’t waste it).
If I put it in a pot to make veggie broth, should I chop it finely or leave it in big chunks to remove?
Thank You, and we missed you!
~Bethy
Hi Elizabeth, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I love that you are considering no waste options in your kitchen! For fennel, the fronds can be used as garnish and the stalks can be used in place of celery, or in a broth like you mentioned. It doesn’t need to be chopped finely, but I would suggest chopping it into smaller pieces. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet mazel tov Elizabeth! xoxo
Great recipe, everyone loved it. Thanks !