This colourful salad combines orange and beetroot with fennel to create a vibrant and refreshing salad that works perfectly alongside barbecued fish or meat. If you can get a hold of golden or rainbow beetroot, they can be used in addition to red beetroot to add even more colour to the salad. Learn more about fennel in our August Herb of the Month!
FENNEL, ORANGE, AND BEETROOT SALAD
INGREDIENTS
3 medium beetroot, tops trimmed
3 oranges
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline
1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Extra-virgin olive, pumpkin seed, or walnut oil (for drizzling)
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200° C. Wash the beetroot, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.
Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from the oranges and discard. Slice the oranges crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in a bowl with the lemon juice and lime juice.
Peel the cooled beetroot and slice thin rounds. Layer the beetroot and oranges on a serving dish. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Drizzle over any remaining citrus juices from the orange bowl, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with cilantro leaves.
