Regional Recipe
Insalata di Arance
Orange, fennel and olive winter salad
This is a winter citrus salad: cold orange slices with shaved fennel, black olives, olive oil and plenty of black pepper.
Tested and written by Erika A. Cochran
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Prep
15 minutes
Cook
None
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Region
Calabria
What you’ll need
Ingredients
Written for 4.
Showing quantities at 1× the original recipe.
- 4 oranges
- 1 small fennel bulb, shaved thin
- A handful of black olives
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small red onion, sliced very thin (optional)
- Sea salt and black pepper
At the stove
Instructions
Cut the top and bottom from each orange, then cut away the peel and white pith with a knife.
Slice the oranges into rounds and lay them on a plate, catching any juice.
Scatter over the shaved fennel, olives and onion if using.
Dress with olive oil, salt and a good amount of black pepper, and pour over the caught juice.
Serve cold, at the end of a heavy meal or beside one.
Recipe notes
Black pepper is not optional here — it is what makes the salad work against fat.
Blood oranges, when in season, are the usual choice in Calabria and Sicily.
Context
Citrus salads dressed with oil, olives and pepper are documented across Calabria and Sicily, where oranges are a winter crop rather than a garnish.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented Calabrian and Sicilian household cooking, Casa Magnelli Kitchen
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