Fennel Caesar Salad

When people say they love a Caesar salad, what they’re saying they love is the creamy anchovy lemony dressing. Romaine, the typical green for this salad, is great, but has nothing going on flavorwise. Fennel, on the other hand, now, fennel has character—a slightly licorice-y flavor that’s crunchy at the bottom (the bulb) and herby up top (the fronds). This recipe uses both aspects of fennel, as well as swapping out the croutons (the second best part of a Caesar salad) for a delicious savory granola. More flavors; better crunch. The cheffiest thing about this recipe is also the easiest: the fennel oil. The bright pop of green from the oil is an impressive touch. Here I use the leftover tops and trimmings from the fennel to make the oil, but you can use any greens you have lying around—spinach, chives, basil, parsley. Whatever you use, make sure to cool it quickly, as that’s how you maintain the brightness of the color.

Serves 4 to 6 • Prep time: 10 minutes • Cook time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Fennel Oil and Dressing

Nothing Matters. . . but Delicious Greg Baxtrom

• 1 cup neutral oil

• 1 cup fennel fronds, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt Rucolish Dressing (recipe follows)

Salad

• 2 fennel bulbs (1 pound total), quartered, cored, and shaved

• 2 cucumbers (1 pound), trimmed, cut into 3- to 4-inch lengths, julienned 2 green apples (1 pound),

• cored and julienned Kosher salt

• 1½ cups Savory Granola (recipe follows)

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Make the fennel oil: In a blender, combine the oil, fennel fronds, and salt and blend on high until smooth.

Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat. Transfer the oil mix to the hot pan, whisking constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. It should turn bright green.

Remove from the heat, pour into a cake pan (something wide and flat) and place in the fridge until cool. If you’re really smart, you’ll refrigerate the cake pan first or even freeze it—the faster you cool the oil, the brighter green it remains.

Make the dressing: Make the dressing as directed in the Rucolish Dressing recipe, but omit the celery seeds and use the fennel oil in place of the neutral oil called for. The dressing stays pretty green in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, mix together the shaved fennel, cucumbers, and apples. Gradually add 1½ cups of the dressing, tossing until everything is coated. Season to taste with salt.

To serve, transfer the salad to a prettier bowl and top generously with the granola. Finish with grated Parmesan and extra dressing on the side.

Rucolish Dressing

Makes 2 cups • Prep time: 10 minutes • Cook time: n/a

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon celery seeds

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1½ teaspoons mustard, homemade or Dijon

• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 1½ teaspoons Roasted Garlic Puree (page 27)

• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 3 to 8 oil-packed anchovies

• 1 cup neutral oil

In a blender, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, celery seeds, honey, mustard, salt, garlic puree, Parmesan, and the anchovies to taste, and process until smooth. With the blender running, slowly stream in the oil until fully emulsified. The dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Give a good shake before using.

Savory Granola

Makes 3 cups • Prep time: 5 minutes • Cook time: 25 minutes

• ½ cup pumpkin seeds

• ½ cup sunflower seeds

• ¼ cup white sesame seeds

• ¼ cup golden flaxseeds

• ¼ cup chia seeds

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste

  Toss together all the ingredients on a sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until golden and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Toss together all the ingredients on a sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until golden and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once.

Let cool completely, then break up into bite-size clusters. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 months.

Reprinted with permission from Nothing Matters. . . but Delicious, copyright © 2026 Greg Baxtrom. Photographs copyright © 2026 Murray Hall. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!