Allow us to introduce you to Fennel, the perennial plant classified as a member of the carrot family.

Everyone treats fennel as a whole vegetable— but we’re here to show you that this bulb is so much more than that.

For starters it’s also one of the key ingredients in absinthe!

Fennel is similar to celery in that we can use every part of the plant in both culinary and medicinal purposes. Each part offers a different spectrum of flavours and qualities.

Let’s get into it by breaking the plant down into its different parts. We’ll go over a brief history of the herb, and some different ways to cook each part.

Next time you see one of these at your local market, we hope you pick some up to try for yourself. Its one of the most versatile plants we have.

There really is something in it for everyone.

A Brief History Of Fennel

The history of fennel goes as far back as the middle ages.

Being a perennial herb it was easily grown in the Mediterranean where warriors ate it in hopes of gaining extra strength. The women ate it in hopes of staying thin.

The Greek name for fennel is ‘marathon’ which means “grow thin”.

It was so widely consumed as an appetite suppressant that during the great European famine in the 1200s, mothers would give the dried seeds to their children to help make them feel better and calm the hunger pains.

The seeds have since grown to become one of the most popular spices in middle eastern and Asian cuisines.

Cooking With Fennel

Popular Uses Of Fennel

Since this vegetable/herb can be broken down into different parts, the number of uses and pairings are extensive.

Some common uses of fennel include:

You can also steam the entire plant and serve it as a side dish if you’re feeling lazy.

The Health Benefits Of Fennel

There are actually a lot of health benefits offered by fennel as well.

Fennel is classified as a carminative, appetite suppressant, antispasmodic, nootropic, and digestive tonic.

Getting The Dose Right

Therapeutically, the dose of fennel is about 5-10 grams per day.

This is the dose that herbalists and naturopaths use to treat conditions like poor digestion, IBS, Crohn's disease, and muscle aches & spasms.

Most herbalists will use fennel as a liquid extract for this, but this dose can also be obtained through cooking.

When cooking with fennel, the amount you use can vary a lot depending on the dish, and your individual preference. If you aren’t sure how strong the anise flavour is, try a piece raw before cooking with it.  

The bulb, stalk and fronds will all have a different degree of flavour so use your instincts as to how much you wish to use.

If you’re just starting out with adding fennel into your diet, we recommend starting by eating it cooked to help lower the intensity of flavours and allows an easy integration into your recipes.

1. Fennel Cucumber Salad.

• 4 small  cucumbers, very thinly sliced by hand or with a mandolin

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 fennel bulb, quartered and sliced very thin

• 1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 teaspoons sugar

1. Place the sliced cucumbers in a sieve and salt them. Allow them to sit and drain for an hour. Gently squeeze out extra moisture.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a small pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the red pepper flakes. Stir and remove from heat.

3. Mix together the rice vinegar and sugar, until dissolved. Add the sesame oil. Stir thoroughly

4. Place the cucumbers and fennel in a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently. Cover and place in the refrigerator and chill, allow a minimum of 20 minutes for flavours to marry.

5. Serve as a side and enjoy.

2. Pickled Fennel.

• 1 ¾ cups white wine vinegar

• ¾ cup water

• 5 Tbsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp salt

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 lemons (cut into 1-inch pieces)

• 2 fennel bulbs (stalks removed and halved)

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, lemon peel and bay leaf to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add lemon slices.

2. Placed the sliced fennel in an airtight container and pour the pickling liquid over. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days before eating. The pickled fennel will keep for 2 weeks. (These are best served with a cheese and meat board along with other complementary pickled items)   

3. Braised Fennel With Butter & Parmesan.

• 750g fennel bulbs (stalks removed and cut in half- save trimmings)

• ⅓ cup butter

• 3 Tbsp dry vermouth

• ⅓ cup grated parmesan, plus extra for serving

• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375F (170C)

2. Melt butter in a oven-safe dish. Place fennel in butter, cut side down and scatter the trimmings around. Season with salt and pepper and increase heat to brown fennel.  TIP: Avoid over salting the fennel if using salted butter. Remember that parmesan is also a salty cheese. You can always adjust seasonings after.

3. Add vermouth and cover loosely with tinfoil and lid. Place in oven and cook for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Flipping fennel halfway through.

4. Once fully cooked, remove from dish and cover with tinfoil to keep warm.

5. Pour pan juices and trimmings into a pot through a fine mesh sieve. Heat through and add half of the parmesan. Pulse with a hand blender until smooth and creamy

6. Turn oven to broil. Return cooked fennel to an oven-proof dish and pour sauce over and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place in oven until golden brown and sauce is bubbling.

7. Serve with extra cheese.

4. Sweet Fennel Sausage:

• 1 LB Ground pork

• 1 tsp fresh thyme- chopped

• 1 medium fennel bulb

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic- roasted

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• ¼ tsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp kosher salt (or any coarse ground salt)

• Fresh cracked pepper

1. Heat a dry pan over medium heat and toast the fennel seeds. Swirl continually to ensure they don’t burn.

1. Cut off the fronds and stalks. Slice the fennel in half and remove the core.

2. Slice the bulb halves remaining thinly.

3. Using a heavy skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the raw fennel and a pinch of kosher salt.

4. Cook the fennel for 10 minutes until it begins to brown. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until caramelized.

5. Remove from the pan and roughly chop.

1. In a bowl, add the pork, fennel, thyme, roasted garlic, toasted fennel seeds, balsamic vinegar, salt and 8-10 grinds of pepper.

2. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.

3. Make a small "tester" sausage patty. Cook thoroughly and adjust the seasonings.

1. In a heavy bottom pan, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add in the sausage patties.

2. Cover the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip the patties and return cover. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

3. Serve hot and enjoy.

5. Baked Sea Bass With Fennel

• 2 small sea bass, scaled and gutted

• 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced

• 1 lemon, sliced

• A handful of basil leaves, roughly torn

• ½ cup black olives, pitted

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 385F (200C). Rinse and dry the fish. Season all over with salt and pepper (don’t forget to season the inside as well)

2. Stuff the cavity with half of the fennel, lemon and basil. Scatter the remaining along with olives in a baking dish and place fish on top.

3. Drizzle fish with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes or until desired doneness.

Conclusion

Fennel is a well-rounded culinary herb with medicinal benefits.

It’s adds a unique flavour to the dish, which can be dialed in to be as intense or subtle as you want depending on what part of the plant you use, and how much.

Fennel is great with heavy meals for its ability to help us digest and eases abdominal discomfort associated with gas and bloating.

It also enhances memory, suppresses the appetite, and helps the muscles relax.

Fennel just may be the perfect culinary herb.

This article was a collaboration between

Justin Cooke & Katy Connan

Katy is one of the minds behind the creative blog outlet Kitty Gang, and a damn good chef.

Comment below if you want to see more articles like this in the future.

Further Reading:

References

1. Badgujar, S. B., Patel, V. V., & Bandivdekar, A. H. (2014). Foeniculum vulgare Mill: A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Contemporary Application, and Toxicology. BioMed Research International, 2014, 1-32. doi:10.1155/2014/842674

2. Vasudevan, K., Vembar, S., Veeraraghavan, K., & Haranath, P. S. (2000). Influence of intragastric perfusion of aqueous spice extracts on acid secretion in anesthetized albino rats. Indian journal of gastroenterology: official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, 19(2), 53-56.