Orange & Fennel Salsa

If you have been around the blog for a while, you probably know I’m not a huge raw tomato fan. I just don’t like big chunks of tomato for some reason, but just as crazy – I love salsa so much! I try to play around with different options a lot. Love to have corn salsa or the tomatillo based salsa verde. But I also love pineapple and mango varieties as well. I recently had a salad with fennel in it and thought it would go nice with a citrus. So I decided to give Orange & Fennel Salsa a go and it was a huge hit. After I made everyone’s tacos, the kids finished it off by the spoonful!

If you haven’t used fennel before this is a great way to give it a try. While on it’s one it has a sort of black licorice or anise flavor, when you mix it the with sweetness of the oranges and the spicy of the jalapenos, you get a really great flavor profile. I only used the bulb of the fennel in this recipe, but you can use the fronds in things too (similar to dill). I do peel the outer layer of the fennel so that you only get the tender its.

This salsa does have some heat to it, with the entire jalapeno in it. But it is a good heat that mixes well with the orange and fennel flavors. As always you can remove all the seeds and ribs to bring down the heat level or you can leave them all in and kick it up a notch!

I served this salsa with a simple chicken taco. Corn tortillas topped with my simple southwest chicken. I add two pounds of chicken to a quart of chicken broth in a sauce pan. Then I add one tablespoon each of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder. Turn up the heat to medium-high and boil for 20 minutes. Then chop or shred. It is great for tacos, nachos, burritos, and salads.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Orange & Fennel Salsa

A unique and spicy flavor combo that goes perfect on tacos, nachos, and wraps

Course Dip, Salsa, Sauce

Cuisine American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Keyword cilantro, fennel, jalapeno, orange, salsa

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

• 2 11oz cans Mandarin Oranges drained
• 1 Medium Jalapeno diced (removed half of seeds)
• ½ Medium Red Onion diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 tbsp Lime Juice
• 2 tbsp Oil
• ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
• 1 Medium Fennel Bulb chopped

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients and mix into a bowl.
• Cover and let chill at least 30 minutes before serving.