Fennel slaw is a great addition to any basic seafood or pork main course. This particular one is intended for seafood. There are a number of ways to process the slaw depending on the texture you want – slice it as a julienne, grate it on a box grater, or feed it into a food processor. This one used a box grater to give it a chunkier texture.
The additional ingredients can vary quite a bit, but this one sticks to the basics for a good seafood pairing – chili peppers and lemon as the main additional ingredients. Some fresh herbs are very good in this, especially fennel fronds, chives, chopped arugula, parsley and chervil. Go with whatever you may have available!
Grilled shrimp with a simple fennel slaw, arugula salad, and socca
Fennel Slaw
Ingredients
Instructions
Trim the fronds off the head of fennel and set aside. Halve and core the fennel.
Grate the fennel on the large round holes of a grater or run through a food processor using the shredder disc.
Stem and de-seed the chili pepper. Finely chop it and add to the fennel.
Liberally salt (about 2 Tbls) the shredded fennel and chili pepper and mix well. Leave covered in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours). After it has sat pour off the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Squeeze out any additionally liquid that easily comes out of the fennel.
Add the juice of 1 lemon to the mix (close to 1/4 cup) and the 1/4 cup of EVOO. Stir, and let sit for an hour, or up to a few days.
Just before serving add 1/4 cup of chopped chives and 2 Tbls chopped fennel fronds (or other fresh herbs). Mix well. Pour off excess oil and lemon juice from bottom of bowl and serve!