Fantastic Fennel

Fennel is the topic for the latest in a series of blogs on seasonal ingredients and their uses in some of the world’s best kitchens from food blogger and head of social media at Great British Chefs, Mecca Ibrahim. We’re fortunate that fresh fennel has quite a long season - June through to October. It's during these months that the celery-like stalks are extremely crunchy, the white bulbs are firm and juicy, and the vegetable’s leaves are at their most delicate and feathery. Because of this long summer season, fennel is frequently linked to warm, bright Mediterranean recipes. The dried seeds from fennel are available year-round and many chefs use them to flavour cured meats or sausages. You’ll also find them as a staple spice in Indian dishes. They’re a core component of a pan masala, that zingy post-meal mouth freshener. Fennel has strong aniseed flavours, with a distinct bitterness, and lemony citric sharpness. However, even though these are such big flavours, fennel tends not to overwhelm dishes.  In fact the fresh, clean bite helps to cut through heavy, fatty and rich foods. The vegetable has a long heritage as a popular ingredient. American Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson was a fan and said: "There is no vegetable which equals its flavour ... I prefer it to every other vegetable, or to any fruit." Even the nineteenth century French writer, Alexandre Dumas observed: "It's not unusual to see working people with a bunch of fennel under the arm making their lunch or dinner of this, accompanied by bread." Like many liquorice-flavoured ingredients, fennel has a long tradition as a medicinal plant. Some of its benefits are strengthening the immune system, lowering blood pressure, aiding digestion and it’s even been touted as a cure for flatulence. Fennel's closest partner is fish and shellfish. So it’s no surprise that many of our finest chefs choose to pair fennel’s sharp, lemony fresh flavours with seafood or fish. Dominic Chapman‘s Grilled Sea bass with Fennel is a perfect example. The whole sea bass is stuffed with fennel, lemon and dill to give the fish a citrusy depth of flavour. To make it a perfect summer delight, the bass is served with an orange and fennel salad. Tom Aikens’ take on Bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup is a delight. The dish can be served in a number of ways – either in one steaming bowl or with the broth and the fish plated separately. He uses fennel to provide a welcome hit of aniseed flavour. Josh Eggleton’s Salmon en Papilotte is another great fennel and fish pairing.  The salmon is cooked in foil to ensure it is nicely marinated and doesn't dry out as it cooks. Josh takes Pernod – with its liquorice overtones to accentuate the fennel, parsley and white wine marinade. All ingredients infuse together beautifully as the fish steams in its parcel. Finally, why not try experimenting by using fennel in your desserts? Adam Simmonds harnesses the raw lemony freshness of fennel in his Fennel Granita and Fennel Pollen ice cream. You’ll need to start preparations on this dessert the day before. Also make sure you prepare a stock syrup by simmering equal parts sugar and water before you start.  Adam plays with flavours of fennel and lemon to provide a glorious dessert. His ice cream uses fennel pollen which is available to buy online. For more fennel dishes from some of Britain’s leading chefs, head over to Great British Chefs fennel recipe collection. And here are some of our fennel recipes - Baked skrei cod, cassoulet of shellfish, fennel, smoked roe by Steve Groves   Cornish Crab Sandwich, Fennel, Wasabi and Crab Jelly by Rupert Rowley Lancashire Coals with Liquorice, Milk and Fennel by Adam Reid Mecca is Head of Social Media at Great British Chefs. At work she is known for her chocolate desserts and boundless enthusiasm for social media. She has spent the last 10 years in community management and online marketing at some of the biggest and most innovative internet businesses out there (Yahoo, Justgiving, moo.com and Joost). She also hosts an annual food blogging competition called Nom Nom Nom.