This fennel slaw, made with yogurt, mayo, sugar, mustard, and orange, is a new, fresh-tasting take on clasic coleslaw.
“Crisp with a nice tang.” “The perfect combination of sweet-tart creaminess.” “The grated orange zest was so nice with the slight licorice flavor of the fennel.” “The true test of this recipe came when I served it to a couple of people who dislike fennel. They not only loved it but one ate all the leftovers the next day before I could get to it.” That’s what folks are saying about this fennel slaw.–Renee Schettler Rossi
How to Serve Fennel Slaw
Here are but a handful of its myriad applications:
- Plopped beside burgers and beer
- Heaped on grilled salmon
- Slathered on a pulled pork sandwich in lieu of cole slaw
- Spooned onto a plate of fried chicken
- Served with pan-roasted halibut or cod
☞ Contents
Fennel Slaw
Ingredients
- 1 large fennel bulb fronds reserved for garnish if desired
- Heaping 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (a 7-ounce container)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Finely grated zest from 1/2 orange plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
- Halve the fennel lengthwise. Rinse and cut out the hard core in the middle and reserve it for soup or some other stewed or braised use. Very thinly slice the remaining fennel with a mandoline, a hand-held slicer, or a sharp knife.
- In a bowl, stir together the yogurt, mustard, orange zest, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the fennel in a serving dish, add half the yogurt mixture, and gently toss. Add as much or as little of the remaining dressing as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Taste and, if desired, season with more salt and pepper, mustard, orange zest, and/or vinegar to taste and garnish with orange zest and minced fennel fronds.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is one of the best recipes that I have tested! I used a non-fat Greek yogurt, and the mayonnaise smoothed it out without being too fatty. The grated orange zest was so nice with the slight licorice flavor of the fennel.
The true test of this recipe came when I served it to a couple of people who dislike fennel. They not only loved it, but one ate all the leftovers the next day before I could get to it. I used the largest fennel bulb I could find. The prep and assembly were easy and took no more than 15 minutes.
This fennel slaw is great served with burgers and beer. I think this would also be very good served on fish tacos.
This was no more than a 10-minute project! The entire process was quick and easy. I found the dressing to be the perfect combination of sweet-tart creaminess. The salad did look a little drab, so I added a little grated orange zest and a bit of the fennel fronds on top. I served the slaw heaped on planked grilled salmon. Delish!
I love the combination of orange and fennel and was curious as to how all of the flavors in this fennel slaw recipe would work together. Well, they worked together very nicely. The finished slaw was crisp with a nice tang.
I mixed together all the ingredients except for the fennel in a large bowl and then added the thinly sliced fennel. I used a 7-ounce container of Greek yogurt for my “heaping 3/4 cup.” I used a mandoline to make slicing the fennel an easy task. I had to cut my fennel bulb in half and then cut out the core. I put my mandoline over the bowl containing the dressing so that the slices fell into the bowl, cutting down on dirtying bowls and having to wash something else.
Originally published August 24, 2018
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This is not authentic fennel slaw. Orange zest nope. It’s not what Greek folks I knew made for me growing up.
You’re right, Mark, it certainly is not traditional fennel slaw. And actually we never claimed that it was. We simply present it as a novel way in which to consume some vegetables. Would love to her more about the version you grew up with…
I found it to be way better than traditional fennel slaw! Thank you for the recipe!
Looooooooove this, Christy!
It is amazing!!! The dressing was blase’ until I added the orange zest and then BOOM!!! It became incredible!!! I’m debating thinly slicing some red bell peppers for some color? Maybe for the garnish? I have an hour to decide. Oh,,, I chopped up the fennel fronds and added them to dressing. The only thing that I did different than what you did. I will be serving alongside ribs and potato wedges. Thank you for an awesome recipe! What a delight!
Wonderful! You’re so very welcome, Christy! Love the bell peppers. I personally like the sweetness of orange bell peppers although I think that the red would be really swell, too. Glad it turned out so well! Looking forward to hearing which recipe on the site you try next…!