Fennel — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Fennel is a vegetables available in New Zealand during April, May, June, July, August, September, peaking in June, July. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy fennel, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Raw fennel is crisp and anise-flavoured. Roasted or braised, the anise mellows and it becomes sweet and silky.
How to pick a good one
White bulb, firm and heavy. Fronds should be bright green and feathery. Avoid bulbs with browning.
How to store it
Fridge in a bag for up to a week. Fronds wilt quickly but can be used as herb.
Goes well with
orange: Orange's sweetness and aromatic zest sit against fennel's anise flavour in a way that moderates both. The combination is Sicilian in origin and appears consistently across Italian cooking.
fish: Fennel's anise notes sit well against fish in the way that dill does -- both have aromatic qualities that complement seafood without overpowering it. Used with sea bass, salmon, and clams across Mediterranean cooking.
parmesan: Parmesan's umami and saltiness add a savoury depth to raw fennel's sweetness. Used together in thin-sliced salads, the combination is better than either alone.
lemon: Acid brightens fennel's anise flavour and makes it taste fresher. A squeeze of lemon on a raw fennel salad is the difference between it tasting interesting and tasting correct.
Recipes
Shaved Fennel & Orange Salad
Crisp, anise, citrus. Elegant.
Ingredients: 1 fennel bulb, 2 oranges, 1 tbsp olive oil, squeeze lemon, salt, black olives
Method: Shave fennel very thinly (mandoline ideal). Peel and slice oranges. Arrange on plate. Drizzle oil, lemon. Scatter olives and fennel fronds.
Braised Fennel with Parmesan
Soft, sweet, melting.
Ingredients: 2 fennel bulbs, 2 tbsp butter, 200ml stock, 50g parmesan, salt
Method: Quarter fennel. Brown in butter. Add stock. Cover and braise 25 min until tender. Uncover, reduce liquid. Top with shaved parmesan.
Fennel & Fish Gratin
Dinner party worthy.
Ingredients: 2 fennel bulbs (sliced), 4 fish fillets, 200ml cream, 1 clove garlic, 50g breadcrumbs, lemon zest, butter
Method: Braise sliced fennel in butter until soft. Place in dish. Lay fish on top. Pour over cream mixed with garlic. Top with breadcrumbs and lemon zest. Bake 200C for 20 min.
Nutrition
One bulb provides 27% of your daily vitamin C, 17% of your potassium, and 7g of fibre. Contains anethole, the compound responsible for the anise flavour, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. About 73 calories per bulb. The fronds (feathery tops) contain more vitamin C than the bulb.