Fennel carpaccio and lentils' caviar salad

Fennel Carpaccio and lentils caviar salad

Last weekend, I just started to buy some beautiful organic fennel, and arrived home, I started to cook just following my gut and not really thinking.... This is the result: I made a very quick and easy fennel carpaccio, fresh and crispy, presented with a flavorful and vibrant lentils salad. 

I love to mix cultures on my plate, and travel with my senses, so here you will find Japan influence with the wasabi and the amazing YUZU. This citrus fruit looks like a lemon, but has an amazing taste closer to the mandarine! I just fell in love with this taste, and nowadays, you can finally find it in delicatessen shops!

Fennel are more Mediterranean as well as the olives and pickled lemons.

The rest just came out by itself, feeling to mix textures, and flavors to get into a perfect balance! 

But let´s make it happened! 

Fennel Marinade

Ingredients for the carpaccio:

- 2 small and fresh fennel

- 1 grapefruit

- 1 tsp. dried yuzu zest or mandarine or lemon

- 2 tbsp. of olive oil

- 1 tbsp. of slices black olives

- salt and black pepper

1/ Wash and clean the fennel, take off the first leave if needed. Slice it very thin and place in a tray.

2/ Add 1/2 of grapefruit juice on top. With the second half, get the flesh in small pieces without the bitter skins parts and top the fennel with it.

3/ Sprinkle the dried yuzu zests. Add the olive oil, salt and fresh grounded pepper on top. Cover and place in the fridge for 15 min.

4/ Serve the carpaccio on plates, spreading the slices, and pour a little bit of the marinade on top. Decorate with some slices of black olives.

Lentils' caviar salad

Ingredients for the lentils' caviar:

- Beluga lentils

- 1 avocado

- 1 handful of radishes

- 1 handful of fresh coriander

- 1 pinch of dried yuzu zests or mandarine or lemon

- 2 tsp. of wasabi

- 3 tbsp. of olive oil

- 4 tbsp. of orange juice

- olive oil

- 1/4 of pickled lemon

- salt and black pepper

1/ Cook the lentils for 20 minutes in boiling and salty water. Drain and let it cool.

2/ Clean the radishes and slice it. Slices the avocados and small pieces.

3/ In a bowl, prepare first the dressing mixing the wasabi with orange juice, olive oil, the yuzu zests, salt and pepper.

4/ Add the different missing ingredients: lentils, radishes, avocado. Slice very thinly the coriander and lemon confit and add it to the salad.

5/ Mix well all the ingredients with the dressing. Cover and keep in the fridge before service.

I served this salad with the carpaccio as a complement and both were  going very well and flavors were mixing wonderfully! You do not need to serve then together, and they perfectly can be 2 different salads/starters if you want!

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