Part herb and part vegetable, fennel is a pretty often under-utilized piece of produce in the carrot family. The bulbs grow underground (which is the vegetable part) while the green stems on top sprout festive tiny yellow flowers that have a taste that’s familiar to anise and is used as a garnish or herb to top pastas, salads, soups, and all types of other dishes. So if you’ve never tried cooking with fennel before, here’s a how-to and guide to get you started!
What is Fennel?
Fennel is a vegetable that’s more common to the Mediterranean, but can grow near the coast or near rivers because of the makeup of the soil there. It’s actually found widely around the world now, both in the US, and Northern Europe, Canada, Asia, and Australia.
And even though it’s part of the carrot family, the bulbs on fennel are similar in look and texture to cabbage, with multiple layers that you can peel off to cook and eat. If you really want to get the most out of your fennel, you should use all of it – the flowers, the stems, and the bulb – in your meal. It cuts down on food waste, and frankly, it’s all delicious so why not?
How to Cook Fennel
Since there are technically three edible parts of a fennel plant, we’re going to break down all of the individual parts and discuss how to cook and eat each of them. Let’s start with the bulb. When you’re cooking the bulk, most people slice it up and saute it or the actually add it into soups and salads raw. The only issue here is that the fennel bulk can be a bit tough, so it’s really important to slice those babies thin. Like paper thin. And your best bet for doing so is using a mandoline (luckily, we have a post here on how to use one!). It’s also commonly braised, or you can even puree it to thicken up soups or add a refreshing flavor.
The next edible part of the fennel plant is the stalk. This is the thin green part that attaches to the flowers. This can be used as a vegetable or a garnish (sort of similar to the way you’d use green onions to top a dish). The stalk is commonly added again to soups and to stir fry, and just needs to be chopped into smaller pieces. It can be sauted with a little bit of olive oil, some salt, and a splash of lemon.
Finally, you come to the flowers (also known as the “fronds”). Like we mentioned earlier, these have a flavor similar to anise and this part of the fennel plant is commonly used as a flavoring agent and as a garnish (since it’s also very pretty to look at). Chop them firmly at the base of the stalks and then sprinkle lightly on top once you’ve finished your dish. These parts of the plant are pretty delicate, so dumping them into a soup or any other dish while it’s being cooked will overpower the flavor and you won’t really get anything out of them. Your best bet is to use it as a colorful and elegant garnish for whatever you’re making.
Do you have any tips for how to cook fennel? What’s your favorite fennel dish? Share it with us in the comments!
