Radicchio & Fennel Salad with Tamari Spiced Walnuts, Pomegranate Seeds & Shiitake Bacon
This is hands down, one of my all time favorite salads. I love radicchio with a passion. I love its crisp texture and its vivid burgundy hue. Yet, even I will admit that sometimes radicchio can be a bit too bitter. When working with bitter things I’m always sure to include at least 1 of four ingredients: something fatty, something sweet, something sour and something umami. This salad contains all four. These additions work together to both tame the bitterness and also to create more nuanced, sophisticated flavors.
There are a few separate components to this dish but most can be done in advance. The actual assembly comes together in a snap. The walnuts in particular are something to have on hand to munch on throughout the week. Feel free to play around with the ratio of the tamari, maple syrup and chile flakes. If you want it really crunchy, add more maple syrup and less tamari. Maybe even swap out the tamari for salt. Prefer more spice? Add as much of the chile flakes as you like and feel free to mix varieties.
INGREDIENTS
6 oz (170g) shiitakes, de-stemmed and sliced into 1/4” thick slices
¾ tsp salt, divided
¾ c walnut pieces
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp urfa biber chile flakes
1 medium head of radicchio, roughly chopped
1 medium bulb of fennel, cored and thinly sliced
5 Tbsp (75ml) olive oil + extra for shiitakes
1 small lemon, juiced
⅓ c pomegranate seeds
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a medium bowl combine shiitakes, ½ tsp of salt & a generous drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine and then transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes until mushrooms are browned and smell fragrant. Make sure to flip halfway through to ensure even cooking. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl add walnuts, tamari, maple syrup and chile flakes. Stir to combine. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until walnuts are lightly toasted and tamari has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl combine radicchio and fennel. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkle the remaining ¼ tsp of salt over vegetables. Gently mix in. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Fold in cooled shiitakes, walnuts and pomegranate seeds, reserving some for garnish. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6
NOTES
If the radicchio is too bitter for you, consider swapping half of it out for Romaine lettuce or endive.
The chile flakes that I like best for this salad are urfa biber from Oaktown Spice Shop.