Grape and Fennel Salad

Name: Grape and Fennel Salad
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Tanzanian
Ingredients: 7 ounces (200 g) stale sourdough bread, torn into 1- inch pieces; ⅓ cup (75 ml) plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided; ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for the croutons; ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for the croutons; Freshly cracked black pepper; ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons; ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 medium (5- ounce/140 g) fennel bulb, very thinly sliced; 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced; 2 cups (300 g) red or green seedless grapes,* halved or quartered depending on size; 2 cups (300 g) red or green seedless grapes,* halved or quartered depending on size; 2 ounces (55 g) white cheddar cheese,* shaved; Red wine vinegar, use another tablespoon of Dijon mustard; Red wine vinegar, use another tablespoon of Dijon mustard; Spring mix lettuces, use torn kale or radicchio; Spring mix lettuces, use torn kale or radicchio; Spring mix lettuces, use torn kale or radicchio; Grapes, use apples, pears, roasted sweet potato, or roasted squash; Grapes, use apples, pears, roasted sweet potato, or roasted squash; Grapes, use apples, pears, roasted sweet potato, or roasted squash; Grapes, use apples, pears, roasted sweet potato, or roasted squash; Grapes, use apples, pears, roasted sweet potato, or roasted squash; white cheddar, use Parmesan, Gorgonzola, or another type of blue cheese; white cheddar, use Parmesan, Gorgonzola, or another type of blue cheese; white cheddar, use Parmesan, Gorgonzola, or another type of blue cheese; white cheddar, use Parmesan, Gorgonzola, or another type of blue cheese; Pickled pepperoncini, use pitted Castelvetrano or Mixed Marinated olives; Pickled pepperoncini, use pitted Castelvetrano or Mixed Marinated olives; Pickled pepperoncini, use pitted Castelvetrano or Mixed Marinated olives

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

Third Culture Cooking

By Zaynab Issa

Published 2025

About

It took me way too long to hop aboard the fennel train. I was mildly traumatized by the overpoweringly fragrant bite of saunf mouth freshener, a South Asian fennel seed–based candy, and I mistakenly judged the fresh vegetable against the pungency of its dry seeds and assumed it would be just as strong. It’s not. In fact, it’s a pleasant addition to soups and salads, imparting a surprisingly (to literally just me) delicate anise flavor that works really well in savory applications.

Ingredients

Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzania

Ingredients

Method