This fennel and courgette salad is bright and light, featuring smoked scamorza cheese, thinly sliced fennel, ribbons of courgette (zucchini), fresh chilli and a simple olive oil dressing. It’s an excellent side or a quick, refreshing lunch that comes together in minutes.
A simple courgette salad….
I love raw courgette (zucchini) sliced into thin ribbons and dressed simply. It’s fresh and full of flavour, perfect alongside grilled or roasted meats or with heartier dishes. The smoked scamorza adds an irresistible smoky note — think of it as a firmer mozzarella with less moisture. If you have it, use smoked scamorza; if not, smoked applewood or a thinly sliced soft pecorino work well as substitutes.
How To Make Fennel Courgette Salad – Step By Step
For the best texture the fennel should be sliced very thinly. A mandoline makes this quick and even; if you don’t have one, slice as thinly as possible with a sharp knife. Reserve the fennel fronds for garnish — they add aroma and a pretty finish.
Arrange the thin fennel slices on a large serving plate. If your smoked scamorza (or chosen substitute) is already sold in thin slices, use them to save time. Otherwise thinly slice the cheese and lay it over the fennel.
Peel the courgette into long, thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler and place them on top of the fennel and cheese. Add finely chopped red chilli (remove seeds if you prefer less heat), scatter over chopped basil and the reserved fennel fronds, then season with salt and pepper.
Whisk the dressing by combining extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper until blended. Drizzle over the salad just before serving.
Enjoy!
More Light Meals To Try;
- Comforting zucchini potato soup
- Bresaola salad with apple and radicchio
- Summer easy bean salad
- Roasted strawberries and peach caprese salad
If you’ve tried this courgette salad or any recipe from the blog, please rate it and leave a comment to tell me how you got on — I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on social media to see more recipes and what I’m cooking.
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Fennel Courgette salad
By Emily
Ingredients
- 1 courgette/zucchini
- 1 large fennel bulb, keep fronds for garnish
- 1/2 fresh red chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed)
- 1.7 oz (50g) smoked scamorza, thinly sliced (see notes)
- small bunch basil
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Slice the fennel very thinly (use a mandoline if you have one). Remove and reserve the green tops and fronds, then arrange the sliced fennel on a serving plate.
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Thinly slice the scamorza (or your substitute) and place the slices over the fennel.
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Peel the courgette into long ribbons with a vegetable peeler and add them to the plate.
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Scatter the finely chopped red chilli, chopped basil and fennel fronds over the salad, then season with salt and pepper.
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Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper until combined. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.
Notes
- If smoked scamorza isn’t available, use smoked applewood cheese or a thinly sliced soft pecorino as an alternative.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless stated otherwise.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless noted.
- All recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven unless specified.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an estimate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.