Strawberry-Fennel Salad with Long Pepper

Sweet, juicy strawberries and the heat of the long pepper make for an interesting and tasty flavor profile. The small bits of crushed long pepper pop and crunch in your mouth. Creamy feta mellows out the pepper tingle, and the onions and fennel keep the dish crisp and light. This dish would pair nicely with some grilled fish and white wine.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Spices

Featured in this Recipe

Ingredients

1 pint fresh strawberries, quartered or shingled
1 bulb fennel, julienne
1/2 bulb red onion, julienne
1/3 cup feta cheese. cubed or crumbled
To taste french grey sea salt
1/3 cup wildflower honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 generous sprinkling fresh ground long pepper

Preparation Instructions:

Whisk dressing ingredients together until evenly dissolved.
(optional-add a spot of dijon mustard as an emulsifier)

Lightly toss onions and fennel in the dressing.

Plate in a shallow a bowl, topping with strawberries, and feta.

Season with sea salt and good amount of fresh cracked long pepper.

Garnish with fennel leaves and enjoy!

More About This Recipe

Use the lemon juice to dissolve the honey before you whisk in the oil. You may reduce the amounts for the dressing, so long as the honey, oil, and lemon juice are in equal parts. This recipe makes enough to have leftover dressing. Long pepper can be fed into a traditional pepper mill once it is broken or cut into smaller pieces.You can also grind long pepper using a mortar and pestle or even a coffee grinder.