Grilled Fennel with Fresh Herbs, Lemon & Parmesan

With their mild, licorice-scented flavour and crisp texture, fennel bulbs are delicious boiled, braised, sauteed, grilled, roasted, steamed or simply eaten raw as part of a light antipasti. In this Grilled Fennel Salad recipe, they're thinly sliced then grilled until soft and tender, and finished with an aromatic mixture of fresh herbs, lemon, olive oil and shaved parmesan. Served over a bed of wild arugula, this is an easy yet elegant side dish, delicious served along side grilled fish, veal chops or succulent roasted pork, for a sensational summer dish.



Grilled Fennel with Fresh Herbs & Parmesan
Serves 2

1 fennel bulb and fronds
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
fresh herbs like basil, parsley and thyme and some fennel fronds
lemon juice and zest
Maldon salt and black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings


Trim off the woody base of the fennel bulb, and holding the bulb upright, cut 1/4 inch slices vertically from top to bottom. Brush each side with a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whisk together the lemon, remaining olive oil, herbs, zest and set aside. Place the sliced fennel on a medium hot grill and turn until both sides are tender and nicely charred, about 10-15 minutes. To serve, arrange the grilled fennel over a bed of arugula and drizzle with the herbed olive oil and garnish with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and chopped fennel fronds.