20-Minute Blood Orange and Fennel Salad with Arugula
May 19, 2026 by Hannah Sunderani
This blood orange and fennel salad is the perfect way to welcome Spring! Made with thinly sliced fennel, arugula, sweet and juicy blood oranges, toasted pistachios, Castelventrano olives, and a simple tangy lemon vinaigrette dressing.
This salad uses the freshest of ingredient – it’s simple, wholesome, crisp and refreshing. Enjoy it as a side salad, or a light dinner salad. I like to serve it with my oven-baked lemon garlic tofu skewers or my lentil burgers for a filling dish!
So, let me tell you exactly how to make this wholesome and nourishing orange and fennel salad, so that you can enjoy it pronto!
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
I love this fennel and blood orange salad because it comes together effortlessly but totally delivers on taste and flavour! The use of blood orange in this recipe is intentional because of its cherry and grapefruit undertones, which pairs so beautifully with fennel and peppery arugula.
The simple lemon vinaigrette is the perfect pairing for this salad to keep the dish light, bright and tangy. What I also love about my recipe is the use of castelvetranos olives, which are creamy and and buttery with a slight nutty flavour. It really helps enhance this dish without being overpowering.
All-in-all it’s a simple recipe with few ingredients and requires minimal effort to put together! I think you’re going to love it as much as we do!
Hannah xx
The Ingredients:
The ingredients for this recipe are fresh and simple, using whole food ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Blood Orange: I love using blood oranges in recipes because of their visually beautiful vibrant colours and grapefruit and cherry-like undertones, as opposed to traditional orange varieties. They are ultra juicy and sweet! They’re a gorgeous variety for this dish! I did also recipe test with navel oranges and it was still delicious; but my preference is the blood oranges for that deep citrus flavour.
- Fennel: Thinly sliced in this recipe is the best way to enjoy raw fennel! I recommend to use a mandoline for ultra thin slices. Fennel is known for its distinct licorice flavour; which is meddled down by thinly slicing. If the fennel is too thick the mouth-feel isn’t as nice – being more woody in texture, with the black licorice flavours too highly pronounced in my opinion. When cut correctly, this is a gorgeous vegetable to serve raw.
- Arugula: Known for it’s peppery flavour, this leafy green works so well to compliment the flavours in this dish! I did recipe test with spinach but it got lost in the bold flavours of this salad. My next best leafy recommendation is endive or chicory. However, these two options lend more into the bitter flavours, which I personally love, but might be too much for some palates.
- Pistachios: Lightly roasted and chopped, this is a beautiful crunchy nut for our salad! I also recipe tested with walnuts and chopped roasted almonds and these were both really nice options.
- Green Olives: My preference is the Castelventrano olives for it’s creamy and buttery smooth flavour that’s not too briney. The next best option would be green olives. I recipe tested this with black kalamata olives, but I personally found them too briney and complex for this recipe.
- Fresh Herbs: A really nice addition to this recipe! I’ve added fresh parsley and mint. You can forgo the herbs altogether, but they really add another layer of freshness and flavour that I simply adore!
How to make this fennel and orange salad:
Making this blood orange salad is so simple! I recommend having a mandoline for thinly slicing the fennel, but you can also use a sharp knife; it just takes a little more time and precision to get the shavings really thin. Here’s what you’ll do:
So there we have it, a simple and nourishing recipe for blood orange and fennel salad that’s fresh, crisp and vibrant! Ready in 20 minutes.
If you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
20-Minute Blood Orange and Fennel Salad with Arugula
Ingredients
- 1 medium fennel bulb (270g)
- 2 large blood oranges
- 2 green onion , finely sliced
- 2 big handfuls arugula (about 2 cups/100g)
- 2 tbsp mint , finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
- 12 Castelvetrano olives , pitted and chopped small
- 1/3 cup pistachios , finely chopped
Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel into thin slices. Remove the skin of the oranges with a knife and slice into rounds.
- In a small bowl: whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Add the sliced fennel, orange, arugula, chopped scallions, herbs, pistachios and olives to a bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette dressing over the salad and serve.
Notes
Approvals
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