Crunchy Winter Salad with Fennel and Pomegranate

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A fresh winter salad makes a beautiful side dish for your holiday table (or any day of the week)! Shaved fennel, romaine lettuce, radicchio, and thin-sliced celery root tossed in a creamy lemon dressing, topped with pomegranate seeds.

If you’re looking for new salad ideas, here’s a pretty winter salad recipe to enjoy through the cold days of the year. It’s an alternative to a classic green salad, and it’s packed full of freshness, crunch and tangy flavor.

This recipe will show you how to prepare a simple, seasonal salad featuring ingredients that are at their best in the colder months — radicchio, romaine lettuce, pomegranate, fresh fennel and celery root.

• Types of vegetables to use in winter salad
• Lemon dressing ingredients
• How to prep celery root for salad
• How to quickly seed a pomegranate
• How to customize your salad

Serve the salad in a large bowl and instantly add an uplifting jolt of color to the table — just what you need to help round the corner until springtime brings more green things!

What to use in a winter salad

• Celery root: Also called “celeriac”, this gnarly-looking vegetable tastes like a milder version of green celery and it keeps in the fridge for at least a month or more. It’s related to the green celery we all know, only it’s grown for its root end rather than the stalks. Celery root is a really delicious vegetable to get to know. If you don’t have celery root, substitute with 1 cup thinly sliced green celery.
• Radicchio: A type of Italian chicory. Radicchio in a salad has vibrant red leaves and a slightly bitter taste. Substitute about 1 cup shredded red cabbage if you like.
• Romaine lettuce: Salad green with sturdy, crunchy leaves. You can use light green romaine hearts for this salad.
• Fresh fennel: “Finocchio” in Italian, this edible bulb has a lovely anise flavor and sweet crunchy texture. You’ll use the entire bulb plus the fronds.
• Pomegranate seeds: Fresh pomegranate seeds add a lovely “pop” of juicy sweetness and crunch. You can easily replace them with 1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries.

Creamy lemon dressing ingredients

The dressing for my winter salad is a creamy vinaigrette that you can simply shake in a mason jar. It’s boosted in flavor with a little anchovy (which you can omit). It will remind you of a lighter version of caesar salad dressing — it’s a great match for the assertive flavors of the radicchio and celery root.

Here’s what you need to make the dressing:

• Lemon: Fresh juice and zest
• White wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Maple syrup
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Creme fraiche or sour cream
• Garlic clove
• Anchovy: If you’re not an anchovy fan or want to keep this salad vegetarian, just omit it and add a pinch or two more salt.

How to prepare celery root for a salad:

1. Use a large sharp knife to slice off the top and root end.
2. Stand the celery root with one cut side down and remove the outer skin with the knife by slicing all around perpendicular to the cutting board.
3. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the celery root to keep it from going brown, then slice it very thinly. Stack the slices and slice into 1/8-inch wide matchsticks.

How to quickly remove pomegranate arils

• Slice the pomegranate in half through the equator.
• Turn each half cut side-down over a bowl and smack it sharply with the back of wooden spoon – most of the seeds will fall out into the bowl.

Winter salad ideas and variations:

Make this salad your own! Here are some ideas and add-ins you might enjoy:

• Crumble blue cheese or feta cheese over the salad
• Add a handful or two of arugula greens, torn escarole or baby spinach
• Toss in citrus slices, like tangerine, orange or grapefruit
• Top the veggies with chopped nuts, such as pecans, pistachios or walnuts for more color and texture
• Add sliced pears, apples or fresh raspberries for a touch of sweetness

More winter salad recipes:

• Fennel Salad with Celery, Walnuts and Blue Cheese
• Arugula Salad with Pears and Goat Cheese
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Chimichurri
• Italian Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Lemon

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Crunchy Winter Salad with Fennel and Pomegranate

Karen Tedesco

A pretty winter salad to make with a variety of seasonal vegetables like fennel bulb, celery root, winter greens and pomegranate. Top it off with a simple creamy lemon dressing. So refreshing and nourishing!

Print SaveSaved

4.96 from 25 community reviews

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

Lemon dressing:

• ▢ Grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (60 g) crème fraiche or sour cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white wine or rice vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane or finely chopped
• ▢ 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and finely chopped (optional)
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Make the salad:

• ▢ 1 bunch romaine hearts, washed, dried and torn or sliced into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 2 cups (80 g) mixed greens, such as escarole, arugula and spinach
• ▢ 1 small head radicchio, sliced into ribbons
• ▢ 1 small celery root (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into matchsticks* see note below for instructions
• ▢ ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 fennel bulb, stems trimmed and feathery fronds reserved for garnish
• ▢ ½ cup (82 g) fresh pomegranate arils
• ▢ ½ cup glazed walnuts, pecans or chopped pistachios

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Instructions 

• To make the dressing, put the lemon zest, juice, creme fraiche, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, salt, garlic, anchovy and oil in a mason jar with a lid. Shake well, until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Make the salad

• Put the romaine, baby greens, radicchio, celery root and red onion in a large salad bowl.
• Peel the base of the fennel bulb with a vegetable peeler to remove the tougher outer layer. Slice the fennel very thinly using a sharp knife or shave on a mandoline. Add to the salad bowl.
• Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
• Transfer the salad to a serving plate. Drizzle with additional dressing and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and nuts. Garnish with fennel fronds.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

• To prep celery root, use a large sharp knife to slice off the top and root end; stand the celery root with one cut side down and remove the outer skin with the knife by slicing all around perpendicular to the cutting board. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the celery root to keep it from going brown, then slice it very thinly. Stack the slices and slice to make matchsticks.
• Try this method for seeding a pomegranate: Slice in half through the equator, then turn each half cut side-down over a bowl; smack it sharply with the back of wooden spoon – the seeds will fall right out into the bowl.
• Substitute 1 cup shredded red cabbage for the radicchio and 1 cup thinly sliced celery stalks for the celery root, if you prefer.
• The lemon dressing will keep up to 5 days, refrigerated. Shake well to blend before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 619mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1904IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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• Mediterranean Diet
• Salad
• Vegetarian and Vegan
• Winter

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

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I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.