Grilled Cremini Mushroom and Fennel Salad Recipe

I just finished teaching a series of cooking classes with Spanish Tapas on the menu.  Entertaining with Tapas is always a lot of fun because you get to sample small size dishes with full size flavor.  You can put together an eclectic mix of flavors, and may be as simple or as complicated as you like. The combinations are limitless, and may range from a tray of olives and cheese, to  Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Bites with Romesco Sauce.

It’s understandable why this casual style of eating is so popular today.

My Grilled Cremini Mushroom and Fennel Salad turned out to be pretty popular with cooking class, so I thought I would share the recipe with you too.

What I love about this salad is that it has a nice balance of warmth and freshness. Cremini mushrooms have a meaty texture to begin with, and when grilled, their warm woodsy flavor really takes off.  Fennel, with its  curiously sweet taste and smell, similar to licorice, is thinly sliced and tossed with fresh Italian parsley. The dressing is quite lively, like a bright sunny day,  full of lemon zest and basil.

This salad works really well when incorporated into a Tapas menu, but is also fantastic as a stand alone entree salad topped with grilled chicken, steak, or fish.  The dressing also works well as a sauce, pooled on a dinner plate and topped with grilled salmon or shrimp.

Take advantage of fresh fennel while in season, and give this recipe a try!

Grilled Cremini Mushroom and Fennel Salad

Creamy Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lemon, cut in half and grilled, for garnish

Mushrooms:

1 pound cremini mushrooms, brushed clean of any grit

3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

For the vinaigrette:

Combine lemon juice, zest, mayonnaise, honey, salt, pepper, basil and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 1 hour in advance and refrigerated.

For the mushrooms:

Heat the grill to high.

Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, add the canola oil and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Skewer mushrooms, 4 on a skewer. Place the mushrooms on the grill, until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove from the grill to a cutting board and quarter.

Place the fennel and parsley in a large bowl, add half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Top with the mushrooms and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette. Squeeze lemon juice over the salad and serve.

4-6 servings