Tender green lentils soak up a sharp orange and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Raw fennel adds a fresh crunch, while toasted hazelnuts bring a hearty, nutty bite.
This salad brings together two very different textures: soft, substantial lentils and paper-thin raw fennel. The lentils are tossed with the vinaigrette while still warm, so they absorb the dressing before the fennel is added. That order is helpful: the fennel stays crisp and fresh, while the lentils don’t taste dry or bland. Orange adds fruity acidity; Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar keep everything tangy and savoury.
Green lentils work well because they hold their shape reasonably well when gently cooked. Rinse them first and let them simmer gently rather than boiling vigorously. Start checking after about eighteen minutes: here, cooked means soft enough to eat but still with a slight bite. The exact time varies depending on the type and how long the lentils have been in the packet. Drain them as soon as they’re ready; cooking them for too long will make the salad mushy. Don’t let them cool completely before adding the dressing.
Fennel is generally available in the Netherlands all year round, with supplies from different growing regions. Choose a firm bulb without limp or brown patches. A mandoline gives you thin, even slices, but a sharp chef’s knife works too: slice as thinly as you can and keep your fingers out of the blade’s path. If the fennel fronds are fresh and bright, you can finely chop them and use them as an herb; otherwise, flat-leaf parsley adds a fresh green note. The orange segments make the dish juicier, so remove as much of the bitter white pith as possible too.
Taste the vinaigrette before adding it to the lentils. Oranges vary in sweetness, and the mustard also affects how sharp the dressing tastes. If it’s very acidic, add a little extra olive oil; for more tang, add a little red wine vinegar. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until fragrant and lightly coloured. Let them cool before roughly chopping them, so they stay crunchy and don’t make the fennel wilt while still warm.
Serve the salad for lunch or as a side with roast chicken, pan-fried white fish or a simple omelette. For a main-course salad, you can increase the amount of lentils, but keep plenty of fennel and vinaigrette so every bite stays fresh. You can store leftovers covered in the fridge and eat them within two days. The fennel becomes less crisp over time, so add the hazelnuts only to the portions you’re serving. Eat the salad cold or let it come to room temperature briefly; there’s no need to reheat it.
Rinse the lentils under cold water. Put them in a pan with the bay leaf and add plenty of water and some salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 18–25 minutes. Taste from 18 minutes onwards; drain once they’re cooked but still firm.
Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking the pan regularly, until lightly coloured and fragrant. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
Finely chop the shallot. Squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice from one orange and put it in a large bowl with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallot, salt and a few twists of black pepper. Whisk until smooth to make a vinaigrette.
Peel the other orange and cut out the segments between the membranes. Squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes over the vinaigrette. Quarter the fennel bulb, remove the tough end, then shave or slice the fennel as thinly as possible. Finely chop the parsley.
Toss the warm, drained lentils with the vinaigrette and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Then mix in the fennel, orange segments and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Divide among plates and scatter the hazelnuts over just before serving.
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