The marinated grilled fennel are a light and tasty appetizer or side dish, a different way to cook fennel and serve them in an appetizing and flavorful way. Fresh and crunchy, the grilled fennel are prepared with a few simple steps: just cut them into rather thin but not too thin slices (a mandolin is not needed like for marinated fennel, a sharp knife is sufficient) and roast them on a hot grill pan. Meanwhile, make a quick marinade with oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chopped parsley, enriched with a little finely minced fennel fronds. Grilled fennel dressed with this marinade only needs an hour or two of resting to absorb the flavors: a very convenient recipe both when having guests – you can prepare it in advance and take it out of the fridge a few minutes before serving – and for everyday dinner: they pair perfectly with both meat and fish main courses. If you want to change things up, also try the orange roasted fennel, the parmesan fennel, or the sweet and sour fennel: tasty alternatives to enhance the versatility of this vegetable.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 141.67 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 3.86 (g) of which sugars 3.21 (g)
- Proteins 2.58 (g)
- Fat 12.59 (g) of which saturated 1.79 (g)of which unsaturated 0.76 (g)
- Fibers 4.90 (g)
- Sodium 179.51 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 155 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Marinated Grilled Fennel
- 2.2 lbs fennel
- 1.1 oz Taggiasca olives (pitted)
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Grill pan non-stick
- 1 Brush
- 1 Glass
- 1 Fork
- 1 Baking dish
How to Prepare Marinated Grilled Fennel
To prepare the grilled fennel, start by washing and drying the fennel. Remove the stalks (1), which you can use for salads, soups, or other preparations, and set aside a frond or two. With a sharp knife, cut the fennel into slices about 1/8 inch thick (2).
Try to make slices of the same thickness as much as possible (3). In the central ones, remove the core. Lightly oil a non-stick grill pan (4) and place it on the heat.
When it’s hot, place the fennel slices side by side (5); lightly salt them and let them cook for 4-5 minutes. The cooking time obviously depends on the thickness of the slices. When they start to brown, turn them over and let them cook on the other side (6). If you have a double plate electric grill, you’ll save time as closing it will cook both sides.
When they are slightly soft and golden, remove the fennel slices from the grill and continue to cook the others. Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce to marinate the grilled fennel: finely chop the parsley and fennel fronds with a knife (7). In a glass, pour the oil, add a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, the juice of half a lemon, and the chopped herbs. Emulsify everything by beating vigorously with a fork (8).
Take a baking dish and place one layer of grilled fennel at the bottom, slightly overlapping them. Add a few pitted olives (9) and dress with some marinade, spreading it with a spoon (10). Lay a second layer of fennel and dress them with some olives and marinade; continue in the same way until all ingredients are used up (11).
Let the grilled fennel marinate for a couple of hours to absorb the flavors. If not consumed within 3-4 hours, store them in the refrigerator. Serve them as an appetizer or side dish.
Storage
You can store the grilled fennel in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
You can store the grilled fennel in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Tips and Variations
If you want to make the marinade even more appetizing, add a teaspoon of anchovy paste or 3 anchovies in oil well emulsified with the rest of the sauce.
