Fennel is a delicious and versatile vegetable. It has a lovely, light licorice flavor that even the most adamant black jelly bean opponents enjoy. Yet many eaters throw much of this useful plant away.
Most recipes that call for fennel are referring to the bulb, the swollen bottom end of the plant. The fennel bulb is enjoyed raw, where its anise flavor is most pronounced, and cooked for a sweeter, mellower version of itself. But don’t pitch the rest! The entire fennel plant is not only edible but delicious. Each part of the fennel plant has a different texture and use: the bulb, the long stalks that make up the length of the plant and the fringe of fronds at the top all have their place in the kitchen.
(Fennel seed is a popular spice but comes from another variety of fennel plant that isn’t grown for its bulb.)
The less appreciated but still fabulous fennel stalks are loaded with the same taste profile as the bulb but are quite fibrous. Older stalks should be used in cooked dishes that allow you to extract their flavor while leaving their texture behind. You will be saving a great source of added flavor and can compost the spent stalks as you would other aromatics such as bay and tea and coffee grounds. Younger stalks can be finely chopped to break down their tough texture and used in place of other vegetables.
In vegetable and fish stocks, fennel stalks bring great personality to the pot where they can be used as a compliment or replacement for other ingredients. Roughly chop them and add them to the simmering stock at the beginning of cooking to get all of the fennel flavor or near the end to impart just a hint to your pot.
Using up the Fennel Fronds
Fennel fronds can be used like an herb to impart fennel’s licorice notes in raw and cooked dishes. The fronds keep, wrapped well and refrigerated, for up to a week. So, you can tuck them into dishes for days.
Fennel fronds can be added to herb salads where they will hold their own with other tender herbs such as tarragon. You can also mix them into any simple green salad to give it a little herbal lift. Just be sure to mince them finely, as you would dill, to break down their grassy texture.
On top of deviled eggs, a bowl of soup, scrambled eggs — any dish that could use a little sprinkle of green and a hint of flavor will benefit from a fennel frond garnish.
Pesto is the great food waste disguiser and fennel fronds are no exception. You can add them to the basil-based sauce for another layer of herbaceous goodness. Fennel fronds also make a delectable sauce in their own right. Puree them with oil and add a healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Drizzle on chicken, fish or cooked vegetables.
Make a compound butter that is an excellent topper for fish, grilled chicken, pasta hot out of the pot or steamed rice. Simply blend together a stick of room temperature butter with finely minced fennel fronds, a diced shallot or bit of red onion and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Transfer the blend to a sheet of waxed paper and form into a log. Freeze for up to three months, cutting off coins of the butter as you like.
What is fennel and how do you eat it?
How do you eat fennel?
The bulb can be sliced, diced, cut in wedges or peeled into leaves. The fennel bulb can be eaten raw or cooked. The stalk is quite fibrous, and to eat it directly, it must be cooked. Adding stalks to a broth or soup for flavor and then discarding it a great way you can harness its flavor.
Where can you get fennel?
Is that fresh fennel or dried fennel? You may be able to get fresh fennel at stores that sell vegetables, but they may not always have it in stock, so it’s best to order it from the store. For dried fennel, you can buy it at spice stores or online. The same goes for fennel seed.
Can you eat fennel seeds?
A person can ingest fennel seeds in dishes or as an extract. People can also steep fennel seeds, leaves, and flowers to make tea. Fennel tea may aid digestion and other gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn, bloating, loss of appetite, and colic in infants.
Can you eat fennel raw?
Fennel is used as an ingredient in recipes and on its own as a side dish to complement a rich entrée. The vegetable has a mild licorice flavor and can be thinly sliced and eaten raw or cooked. There are two varieties of fennel. The vegetable we eat and from which fennel seeds are harvested is called Florence fennel.