Smoked salmon, orange and fennel salad

I just had this for lunch. No, seriously. I literally just had this for lunch. I can still taste it. It was so good I had to write and tell you about it immediately. Because I love you like that. 

After a morning lazing on my favourite South African beach, Robberg, (that's right, I'm in Plett already, aren't you?) I didn't really feel like a mission for lunch. I wanted something clean. Something fresh. Something healthy. I knocked this up in less than 10 minutes and can safely say it was a hit. I just had a feeling about orange and salmon. A good feeling. A feeling that left me slightly aroused. Annnnyway....

Okay, stuff you'll need to feed 4:

• 200g - 220g smoked salmon
• A bulb of fennel, as finely sliced as possible (peel away the tough skin first)
• Some of the fennel top, picked
• Juice of one lemon
• A glug of the best quality olive oil you can get
• Mixed green leaves
• A handful of dill, chopped
• 3 oranges, peeled and segmented 

What to do:

1. Place the leaves, fennel and oranges in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and using your hands mix to make sure everything is coated. 

2. Arrange ingredients from bowl on a serving platter. Tear up the salmon and drape over the top. Pour over the lemon juice and garnish with the fennel tops and dill. 

3. Serve with plenty of cracked black pepper and an extra wedge of lemon if you want. 

Look, some of this stuff for you might not have lying around but let me say this: if you see fresh fennel, buy it. It is an amazing vegetable. Braise it, grill it, roast it or just use it raw as I have done in this recipe. Soaking it for 10 minutes gives it an amazing crispness. Because we all know how important textures are hey? We do know hey? Good. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who