Simple Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Nothing works better for potlucks than a dish you can make ahead, and this cauliflower salad recipe sure fits the bill! Crunchy cauliflower, refreshing fennel, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette are the basis for this tasty and simple make-ahead salad.

Jump to:

• Introduction
• Mise en place
• Directions
• Tips 
• Recipe variations
• FAQ
• What makes this a great cauliflower salad recipe?
• Italian fennel recipes
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

Introduction

For a cauliflower salad recipe with such basic ingredients, this one sure packs a lot of flavors.

This unique salad recipe is the perfect combination of satisfying and refreshing. If you love marinated olives or Italian giardiniera, this will quickly become a new favorite for your next meal!

If you are wondering what makes it so refreshing and delicious, the answer is the licorice-like flavor of fennel. It gives this dish an extra burst that takes it from good to fantastic!

If you are not particularly fond of adding raw fennel to salads, you can always try adding grilled fennel. The taste transformation from licorice to sweet when grilling this vegetable is truly spectacular.

Fennel also has a well-earned reputation for excellent flavors with citrus flavors. For example, there’s fennel orange salad, which combines it deliciously!

The tangy flavor of this salad comes from combining olives, lemons and fennel. The lemon vinaigrette adds a surprising but pleasant burst of acidity that you’ll love in every bite!

This salad is full of flavor, comes together quickly, and can easily be made in advance. The most time-consuming part might just be chopping all the vegetables, so let’s get started with that first!

Mise en place

Before we begin chopping, place a couple of liters of water in a pot, cover and bring to a boil. 

Rinse your fruits and vegetables properly under running water and pat them dry.

Next, separate 1 head of cauliflower into bite-sized florets and place in a nonreactive bowl. Glass or ceramic works well.

Next, cut 1 organic lemon into skinny slices and place it in the same bowl as the cauliflower.

Finally, cut the stalks from one fennel bulb. Trim a skinny slice from the bulb’s base and remove any tough outer layers if they appear to be blemished. You can use a peeler to remove any spots.

Dice the fennel into bite-sized pieces and set it aside. Reserve the fronds for garnishing the salad. 

Directions

This salad comes together unconventionally but very quickly.

Begin by pouring the boiling water into the bowl containing the sliced cauliflower and lemon. Be sure to use enough water to submerge them.

Let stand for about 8 minutes. This process softens the cauliflowers without removing their crunch and gives them a lemony flavor. 

Meanwhile, let’s prepare the vinaigrette by simply shaking all ingredients together in a mason jar or whisking them together in a small bowl.

The lemon vinaigrette ingredients are:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons of freshly chopped oregano
• 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
• 1 minced or grated garlic clove
• salt and black pepper to taste

Strain the water from the cauliflower and lemon.  Add the diced fennel, the vinaigrette, and 1 cup of pitless chopped olives. Toss everything together.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to two days in an airtight container.

Toss in about 2 cups of cherry tomato halves when ready to serve.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Garnish with fennel fronds and serve.

Aren’t the bright colors of this fennel salad recipe just wonderful?

Tips 

• There is an idle refrigeration time of two hours for the flavors to marinate, do not be tempted to skip this step.
• Add the tomatoes just before serving the salad; this prevents them from becoming mealy.
• Feel free to use your favorite herbs and spices.
• The quality of a salad often depends on the freshness of the ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

Recipe variations

This salad is so versatile; you can enjoy it in various ways. Make it your own signature dish by simply substituting an ingredient or adding some garnishes. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Replace the fennel with celery and you’ll get a nice crunch without that distinctive licorice flavor.

Substitute the tomato in this salad with red bell pepper, and you have an equally appealing dish.

Add a protein source to make this healthy salad into a complete meal, add tuna or cheese, or go meatless with legumes. 

FAQ

What makes this a great cauliflower salad recipe?

Salads are all about the perfect balance of flavor and texture. 

There are five basic flavor profiles: sweet, salty, sour (aka acidic), bitter, and umami. This salad incorporates ingredients that provide each of these profiles.

In this raw cauliflower salad, you’ll find that tomatoes, fennel, and cauliflower provide sweetness while the lemon provides acidity. The lemon rind, which is left intact, lends a slightly bitter note. The umami flavor comes chiefly from the tomatoes and the garlic. And the saltiness comes from… salt.

The texture is also an essential part of making a good salad. This salad gets a lot of crunch from the cauliflower and fennel, but the tomato and olives add a second, softer texture. The two complement each other well.

Italian fennel recipes

Fennel is a staple in Italian cuisine, and for a good reason. This vegetable features anise-like flavors that frequently appear as an ingredient in many salads, and pairs well in chicken and potatoes dishes. Fennel is also great on its own, eaten raw, grilled or simply roasted. 

Recipe origins

Ever since I can remember and still to this day, I have been a big fan of Elizabeth Baird, one of the former food editors of Canadian Living Magazine.

As a result, I have countless cookbooks that she authored. One such cookbook is “Vegetarian Dishes, Canadian Living’s best,” first published in 1997.

I immediately fell in love with the simplicity, convenience, and adaptability of this recipe.

I tweaked the vinaigrette ingredients to suit my families’ taste – feel free to do the same. The other change I made was the addition of green olives and fennel.

This is one of my go-to fennel salad recipes for potlucks or buffet parties…, especially in the summer.

Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I do.

★★★★★ If you have made this refreshing salad, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on March 25, 2017, and republished on January 14, 2022, with updated content and photos.  Thanks for sharing!