Blood orange and fennel salad with shaved Parmesan

A bright citrus salad can bring welcome colour to an Australian winter table, when blood oranges are at their most vivid and fennel is crisp, aromatic and plentiful. The fruit’s raspberry-like acidity works beautifully with the cool anise flavour of raw fennel, while shaved Parmesan adds savoury depth without making the dish feel heavy.

This salad is equally at home beside grilled fish in Sydney, as part of a Melbourne lunch spread, or served before a relaxed Sunday roast in the Adelaide Hills. It is quick enough for a weekday meal, yet its jewel-like citrus slices and delicate cheese shavings make it feel special. For more seasonal ideas across soups, breads, sides and desserts, browse the recipe collection, where simple techniques are treated with the same care as elaborate dishes.

Choosing the best seasonal ingredients

In Australia, blood oranges generally arrive through the cooler months, although the exact season varies between growing regions and suppliers. Look for fruit that feels heavy for its size, with taut skin and a fresh citrus fragrance. The flesh may be deep burgundy, streaked with red, or only lightly blushed; colour varies naturally and is not a reliable measure of sweetness.

Fennel bulbs should be firm and pale, with no soft brown patches. The stalks and fronds are useful too, so choose bulbs with fresh green tops where possible. At a farmers’ market in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, a stallholder may have several varieties available, including smaller bulbs with a particularly delicate texture. Supermarket fennel can be excellent, but remove any tired outer layer before slicing.

For four generous side portions, gather three blood oranges, one large fennel bulb, 60–80 grams of Parmesan, two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, one tablespoon of lemon juice, one teaspoon of honey, and a small teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Add salt, freshly ground black pepper and a few fennel fronds. A handful of toasted walnuts, pistachios or pepitas is optional, but useful when the salad needs to carry more weight.

Preparing the citrus and fennel

The cleanest way to prepare the oranges is to slice away the top and bottom, stand each fruit upright, and cut down the sides with a sharp knife. Follow the curve of the fruit closely so that the white pith is removed while as much flesh as possible remains. Lay the peeled orange on its side and cut it into thin rounds, or slice between the membranes to make neat segments.

Catch any juice on the chopping board or in a shallow bowl. It becomes part of the dressing and gives the salad a more coherent flavour than bottled juice. If the oranges are particularly tart, reserve a little of the juice and taste the vinaigrette before adding extra honey. Blood oranges can be sweet, sharp or pleasantly bitter depending on the harvest.

Trim the fennel bulb, keeping a little of the base intact so the layers stay together while you slice. Use a mandoline if you have one, but a sharp chef’s knife works well. Aim for very thin slices; thick pieces can seem stringy and overpower the citrus. Place the fennel in iced water for ten minutes if you want an especially crisp texture, then drain and dry it thoroughly.

Slice the Parmesan with a vegetable peeler or cheese plane rather than grating it. Broad, fragile shavings soften slightly when dressed and offer a more satisfying contrast to the juicy fruit. Parmigiano-Reggiano is wonderful here, though a good Australian Parmesan-style cheese can also bring the required nuttiness and salt.

Building a balanced dressing

Whisk the reserved blood orange juice with the lemon juice, honey and Dijon mustard. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking until the mixture looks lightly emulsified. Season carefully: Parmesan contributes salt, and the fruit’s acidity should remain noticeable rather than being covered by a sweet dressing.

A little grated blood orange zest can intensify the aroma, provided the fruit is unwaxed and scrubbed before use. In Australia, citrus bought from a supermarket may carry a food-grade coating to protect it during transport, so check the label if you plan to use the skin. Zest only the coloured outer layer; the white pith is bitter.

Taste the dressing with a piece of fennel, not just from the spoon. Fennel’s sweetness and anise character can make a dressing seem sharper than expected, while the orange can make it seem softer. Adjust with a few drops of lemon juice, a pinch of salt or another small spoonful of oil. The finished vinaigrette should be lively and rounded, with enough acidity to refresh the palate.

For a more substantial lunch, add a teaspoon of finely chopped shallot or a few crushed pink peppercorns. Fresh mint, parsley or chervil can also be folded through, though fennel fronds alone keep the flavour focused. Avoid adding too many herbs: the appeal of this combination lies in the clear relationship between citrus, bulb, olive oil and cheese.

Layering the salad for texture

Arrange the orange slices and fennel on a wide platter rather than tossing everything in a deep bowl. The citrus is delicate, and a broad surface lets each ingredient remain visible. Scatter the fennel over and between the slices, then spoon over just enough dressing to coat the surfaces without pooling at the bottom.

Add the Parmesan shavings last, along with fennel fronds and any toasted nuts or seeds. If using walnuts, toast them in a dry frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, then cool them before adding. Warm nuts can soften the fennel and make the dressing appear oily.

Leave the salad for five minutes before serving. This short rest lets the fennel absorb some citrus flavour while the Parmesan begins to soften at the edges. It should not sit for an hour, because the fennel will lose its snap and the cheese may become slick.

Serve it cool but not refrigerator-cold. If the ingredients have been chilled, bring the assembled platter out for around fifteen minutes before eating. This small step makes the olive oil more expressive and allows the blood orange’s perfume to emerge. In warmer parts of Queensland, keep the salad refrigerated until shortly before serving and return leftovers promptly to the fridge.

Serving ideas and thoughtful pairings

This is an excellent counterpoint to rich food. Serve it alongside roast chicken, pork cutlets, baked salmon or a vegetable tart, where its bitterness and acidity can clear the palate. It also fits naturally into an Australian barbecue menu, particularly with prawns, grilled snapper or charred lamb. Put the salad on the table just before eating rather than leaving it outside in the heat.

For a meat-free meal, pair it with crusty sourdough, roasted chickpeas or warm white beans dressed with olive oil and parsley. A few slices of avocado provide creaminess, although they should be added immediately before serving so they do not discolour. To turn the salad into lunch, add farro, quinoa or a small amount of cooked lentils, keeping the grains lightly dressed.

A dry sparkling wine, a mineral-driven sauvignon blanc or a chilled Australian riesling will suit the orange and fennel. The wine should have enough acidity to match the citrus but not so much oak that it competes with the Parmesan. For a non-alcoholic option, serve sparkling water with a strip of orange peel and a bruised fennel frond. If alcohol is included, remember that Australian state and territory laws govern service and sale, and responsible serving matters even at a casual home gathering.

The flavour profile also works well as a fresh opening course before a smooth vegetable soup. A silky cauliflower and leek soup with truffle oil, such as this cauliflower and leek soup, benefits from the salad’s crisp texture and citrus lift. Keep the soup portions modest so the meal retains its balance.

Parmesan is a milk allergen, and packaged ingredients should be checked carefully when cooking for guests. Under the Food Standards Code used in Australia and New Zealand, allergens must be declared on packaged foods, but at home it is still good practice to tell guests exactly what is in a dish. The salad contains no complicated components, so it is easy to omit the cheese or replace it with toasted seeds when necessary.

The finished dish should taste fresh, salty, lightly sweet and faintly bitter, with several textures in every forkful. Its elegance comes from restraint: thin fennel, carefully trimmed citrus, a sharp dressing and just enough shaved cheese. More inspiration for that kind of cooking can be found on the Rich and Sweet kitchen, where seasonal produce and practical kitchen wisdom meet at the table.