A refreshingly light salad to start with on Christmas Day.
Ingredients
- 1 large fennel bulb
- 1 large celery stick
- 3 spring onions, trimmed
- 2 tbsp hazelnut oil
- 10 seedless clementines or tangerines
- 16 slices good-quality smoked salmon
- Small bunch of fresh dill
Method
- 1. Trim the fennel and halve lengthways. Finely slice into 6cm matchstick lengths and put in a medium bowl. Finely slice the celery and spring onions to the same lengths and add to the fennel. Season, add the oil and the juice of 2 clementines or tangerines and mix well.
- 2. Peel the remaining clementines or tangerines, keeping them whole and removing as much of the white pith as possible. Carefully slice each clementine widthways to make 5 thin rounds. Re-assemble each 1 as you go and set aside.
- 3. When you’re ready to serve, lay 2 slices of smoked salmon on each plate and place a bottom round of clementine on top. Add a small handful of the fennel mixture, top with the next round of clementine and continue until you have used all of the clementine.
- 4. Continue with the remaining ingredients until you have assembled 8 starters. Drizzle each with a little of the remaining dressing in the bowl. Season with black pepper and garnish with some of the dill fronds to serve.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 193kcals, 7.4g fat (1g saturated), 26.3g protein, 5.5g carbs, 5.2g sugar, 4.8g salt
Chef's tip
To get ahead, slice all of the vegetables, put in a freezer bag and store in the fridge overnight. You could even prepare and slice the clementines and wrap each in cling film so it’s all ready to go on the day.
Wine Recommendation
Wine note: An unusual but brilliant wine match would be Australian Verdelho, which picks up the herbiness of the fennel well.