White Bean Salad with Fennel and Red Onion

How to prepare white bean salad with fennel and red onion

1. If you have time, I recommend cooking the beans yourself (they're much tastier, and can be stored in the refrigerator in their cooking liquid), but for a quick lunch, canned beans work too. If you've cooked the beans at home and have them in the refrigerator, warm them slightly before preparing the salad, just enough so they're not cold. Drain them well and place in a wide bowl. Season with salt to taste, freshly ground black pepper, and fennel seeds well crushed in a mortar. Mix gently.
2. For the dressing: grate the lemon zest into a small cup. Add the lemon juice over it, then pour the oil in a thin stream while constantly stirring to get an emulsion.
3. Pour 3 tablespoons of dressing over the beans and mix gently so you don't crush the beans.
4. Finely chop the fennel fronds to get about a teaspoon. If there's not enough, you can supplement with dill.
6. Slice the fennel as thin as possible, ideally using a mandoline. Pour the rest of the dressing and chopped fronds over the fennel and mix gently. Adjust salt to taste.
7. In a bowl, cut the red onion into thin slices. Sprinkle and gently massage with a little salt and let it soften for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let it marinate for another 5-10 minutes. When ready, mix it with the fennel.
8. Pile the fennel and onion salad as a mound on top of the beans and grind a little black pepper on top. Serve with fresh bread or toasted bread. It also works well as a side dish with meat.

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