Braised Fennel

Fennel bulbs braised until tender in anise liqueur and stock, then garnished with fennel fronds and orange zest.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 28, 2022
Elise Bauer
Braised Fennel
Elise Bauer

Fennel is one of those vegetables that until recently, I didn't really cook or eat that often. It seemed to me to be kind of precious, something unusual, not an everyday veggie like broccoli or green beans.

At first the only thing I would do with it is slice it thin into a salad. (So good with Parmesan.) Then I discovered roasting it. With some balsamic? Yum. And then I found out how good it was in a tomato sauce with seafood.

See a pattern developing?

Yes, I am slowly becoming addicted to fennel. This braised fennel recipe is the latest incarnation of The Fennel Experiments, and I have a confession to make. I ate the whole batch.

Yes, it serves 4.

Normally.

Yes, I could have saved some for my family. I didn't! Ah well. What they don't know won't hurt them, right? Now that they have the recipe they can make their own. (I can just hear my dad now, "et tu, Brutus, et tu?" He can be a bit dramatic sometimes.)

So, back to the braised fennel. It's lovely. I recommend it as a side to lamb, fish, shellfish, or chicken. Make extra.

Braised Fennel

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 servings

The purpose of the liqueur is to intensify the licorice flavor of the fennel. If you don't have anise-flavored liqueur, or are avoiding cooking with alcohol, you can achieve a similar effect by adding a star anise pod to the stock when you are braising. If you aren't a fan of the licorice flavor, then just skip this step.

Ingredients

  • 2 large fennel bulbs, rinsed clean

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 tablespoons ouzo, pastis, sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur

  • 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

  • Zest from 1 orange

  • Lemon juice

Method

  1. Prep the fennel bulbs:

    Cut the tops off the fennel bulbs, chop 2 tablespoons of the fronds and set aside. Slice the fennel bulbs in half, lengthwise, through the core. Slice each half lengthwise into quarters (you should get eight pieces total out of each fennel bulb), leaving some of the core attached so the pieces don't fall apart as they cook.

  2. Brown the fennel quarters in butter on two sides:

    Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and place the fennel pieces in the pan in a single layer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the fennel pieces, without moving them, for at least 2 minutes.

    Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the fennel (the sugar will help with caramelization).

    Check for browning, and cook for another minute or two if they're not browned yet. Turn the fennel pieces over and brown the other side.

  3. Add ouzo, then stock and water:

    When both sides of the fennel are nicely browned, add the ouzo to the pan. Increase the heat to medium high. The ouzo should boil down quickly. When it is almost gone, add the stock and water.

  4. Cover and simmer:

    Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat down to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

  5. Uncover, reduce liquid to a glaze:

    Remove the cover, increase the heat to high and let the stock cook down until it is a glaze. Add the fennel fronds and most of the orange zest and combine gently.

    Serve garnished with the rest of the zest and a few splashes of lemon juice.

Links:

Braised Fennel and Tomato - from Sunday Suppers

Braised Fennel
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
151 Calories
12g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 151
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 31mg 10%
Sodium 682mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 9mg 43%
Calcium 33mg 3%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 220mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.