Charred Fennel with Capers, Chilli & Preserved Lemon
My friend got me this incredible cast iron griddle pan for my Birthday, and I can only say one thing: I am obsessed!
Not having an outdoor space this is the closest I can get to a bbq and it also allows me the properly char veggies.
My first experiment was with fennel. I am talking bulbs this time and not fronds (#iykyk). This recipe can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature and will look very fancy with very little effort.
I used preserved lemon peel, but you can substitute that easily with lemon zest. The mix of lemon, capers and chilli will give you a very interesting and tasty flavour combination.
Give it a go and let me know if you loved it as much as I did!
Char to impress.
Ingredients
4 fennel bulbs
Juice of 1 small lemon
80g of olive oil
Peel of 1 preserved lemon
3 tbsp of capers
1 bunch of parsley
Salt & Pepper
Chilli flakes
Step by Step
Put your griddle pan on the hob and brush it with very little olive oil. Turn the heat up and let it warm up while you prepare the fennel
Wash and cut the fennel bulbs lengthwise. When the pan is very warm put the fennel slices on. Cook them for a few minutes per side. Try to turn them as little as possible as you want to achieve a few charred stripes on each slice
Finely chop the capers and the parley and mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I used a shaker to mix everything
Put the charred fennel slices in a plate, add the sauce on top and sprinkle the chilli flakes
Thinly slice the peel of your preserved lemon and add on top. If you are using fresh lemon zest instead just add it on the top
Tips & cheats
Just make sure your griddle pan is very hot when you add on your fennel or you won’t get easily the charred stripes.
If you don’t have a griddle pan you can use a very hot regular pan.
Make sure you taste the sauce and adjust it accordingly to your taste. For example, you might want to add more capers or less lemon. Up to you!