88. Seafood, fennel salad - recipe

Seafood fennel salad

Fennel is a vegetable used widely in Mediterranean cooking. It is low in calories, fat free, has anti-cancer properties and can reduce inflammation. Fennel is a good source of B vitamin folate, potassium and even some vitamin C. The medicinal properties of fennel have been known since ancient times. All in all, fennel is an excellent vegetable for everyone, especially those on the South Beach Diet plan.

Fennel has a very interesting history. In Greek mythology, Prometheus smuggled fire to humans inside the hollow wand of a fennel stalk.

This is a recipe from the Guardian columnist, Yotam Ottolenghi that I have adapted. The original called for pomegranate seeds for garnish but I left it out. Instead of dill, I used the fennel fronds. Plus I substituted zatar for sumac. So the original has become a second cousin, thrice removed of the original recipe.

Ingredients for two servings:

Florence fennel, or finocchio

1 small fennel bulb
Some fennel fronds

1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons shredded ginger
2 tablespoons chili oil
Coarse sea salt, mixed with lemon grass and pepper
A handful of peeled shrimps, scallops and squid
1 tablespoon of zatar (or sumac)


Method:

1. Trim the base and top off the fennel bulb so that the white part is left, then use a mandolin to slice the fennel. The stalks can be trimmed and sliced also. You may use the fennel raw in the salad or
   
2. Blanch the sliced fennel in boiling water. Remove with slotted spoon and refresh under the cold tap.
3. Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the shrimps, scallops and squid. Refresh under the cold tap.
4. Chop the fennel fronds - this is a substitute for dill.
   
5. In a bowl, mix the fennel, fennel fronds, onion, lemon juice and zest, ginger, garlic, two tablespoons of the chili oil and half a teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
6. Add the seafood to the bowl and toss.
   
7. Stir in the zatar, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
   

This is an absolutely delicious salad. The fennel is sweet and tastes like celery except with a little more zing! It has a slight hint of anise.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging which is hosted this week by Margot of Coffee and Vanilla.

Thanks to Kalyn and WHB I have discovered a Euro-Caribbean food blog! From a brief glance at the blog I see that the recipes are healthy and low cal too. I will be visiting Coffee and Vanilla a lot to get tips and new recipes for my South Beach Diet meals.