Shaved Fennel and Citrus Salad

Nothing is cooked, so there is nothing between the oil and the person eating it.

Serves 4. 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 2 oranges
• 3 tbsp MOC Lemon Oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper
• Fennel fronds and a few mint leaves
• Optional: shaved parmesan, or good olives

Method

1. Trim the fennel, halve it, and shave it as thin as you can. A mandoline earns its place here.
2. Drop the shavings into ice water for 10 minutes. They crisp and curl.
3. Segment the oranges over a bowl to catch the juice.
4. Drain the fennel and dry it thoroughly. Wet fennel will not take dressing.
5. Toss with the MOC Lemon Oil, lemon juice, the cut orange, salt and pepper.
6. Fronds, mint, pepper. Serve immediately.

Why it works

• Ice water is what makes shaved fennel worth doing. Straight from the board it is limp.
• This dish is oil, acid and salt on raw vegetables. There is nowhere for a mediocre oil to hide, which makes it the best thing on the site for tasting what you have bought.
• Dress at the last moment. Fennel weeps within ten minutes.