Triple-Fennel Salad with Pink Grapefruit and Black Olives

• Recipe by Morgan Brownlow

Even in the middle of winter, Clarklewis chef Morgan Brownlow tries to satisfy his craving for refreshingly crunchy salads. For this take on a traditional Sicilian antipasto, he substitutes one of his favorite types of citrus, sweet pink grapefruit, for the usual blood oranges. He combines it with oil-cured black olives and crispy, paper-thin fennel slices tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh grapefruit juice.

Ingredients

1. 3 large pink grapefruits
2. 2 medium shallots, minced
3. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. 1 teaspoon honey
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 3 medium fennel bulbs (1 1/2 pounds)—halved, cored and sliced paper-thin crosswise, fennel fronds coarsely chopped
7. 2/3 cup black oil-cured olives—pitted, rinsed and coarsely chopped
8. Fennel pollen or ground fennel seeds, for dusting

Directions

1. Using a sharp knife, peel the grapefruits, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections; squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl.
2. Transfer 1/2 cup of the juice to a large bowl; save the remaining juice for another use. Add the shallots and let soak for 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil and honey and season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced fennel and toss to coat. Arrange the fennel on a platter. Scatter the olives, grapefruit sections and fennel fronds on top. Dust lightly with the fennel pollen and serve.