Arugula Salad with Lemon & Fennel

This easy arugula salad is light and lemony with peppery arugula, marinated fennel, crisp radishes, creamy avocado, and toasted walnuts.

salads / side dishes

This bright arugula salad is one of my favorite simple side dishes. It’s so easy to toss together: marinate thinly shaved fennel and radishes for a few minutes before tossing them with arugula, toasted walnuts, and creamy avocado. And if you have it on hand, a dollop of pesto really takes it to the next level.

With a simple lemon dressing, this salad has the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, bright, and bitter components. It’s an excellent choice for a weeknight, but it’s good enough to serve as a side salad for a special occasion.

Arugula Salad Recipe Variations

Like most simple salads, this one is easy to play with. You could:

Try using thinly shaved celery in place of the fennel.
Add a handful of your favorite fresh herb – mint or parsley would be excellent.
Substitute toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds for the walnuts.
Top it with a little cheese – crumbled feta or shaved Parmesan are my top picks.
Mix in some shaved apple (I love it this way in fall).

The most important thing is to make it to suit your preferences – be sure to taste and adjust!

If you love this arugula salad recipe…

Try making this spring salad, this kale salad, or this quinoa salad next!

Arugula Salad with Lemon & Fennel

PrintPrep time 15 minsTotal time 15 mins This easy arugula salad is light and lemony with peppery arugula, marinated fennel, crisp radishes, creamy avocado and toasted walnuts.Author: Jeanine DonofrioRecipe type: SaladServes: 4IngredientsMarinated fennel & radishes

1 small fennel bulb, white part, sliced paper thin*
3 radishes, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt

For the salad

5 cups arugula
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 small avocado, diced
⅓ cup toasted walnuts
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
dollops of pesto or freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

Make the marinated fennel & radishes. In a medium bowl, combine the fennel, radishes, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and sea salt. Toss and set aside for 5 minutes to marinate.
Make the salad. In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, and pinches of salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad with the arugula, marinated fennel & radishes, avocado, and walnuts. Add scoops of pesto or freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired. Season to taste and serve.

Notes*I recommend using a mandolin to slice the fennel paper thin.

Make this vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey.3.4.3177