Fennel spring salad

Slice the red onion and chop the shallots very thinly and put aside. Peel the skin of the oranges and cut out the orange segments. Cut the fennels in two then slice them very thinly. Save any fennel small green growth for decoration.

Mix most of the shallot and all the fennel together in a large bowl. Add in a few drops of cider vinegar and good quality extra virgin olive oil. Mix well, cover and leave to marinate for at least half hour.

Serve the fennel salad on the serving plates, sprinkle in the rest of the shallot, place the mozzarella balls and orange segments around each plate and display the red onion rings and fennel green stalks (as well as capers if you like them). Drizzle some more olive oil, grind some pink pepper and sea salt. If you want, you can add a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar for effect.

If the taste of raw fennel is slightly too strong for the balance of your meal, you can blanch the fennel for 1 minute to mellow it before slicing. If you do, plunge it briefly in cold water and dry it before slicing.