Fresh sides that don’t require cooking are not only a great help when it’s hot out, but they also can save a lot of time. With this shaved fennel salad thin slices of radish, cucumber, apple, and fennel come together for a refreshing marinated salad that’s anything but ordinary.

If you’ve found the flavor of fennel seeds to be a bit much, have no fear. The vegetable part of fennel has a much milder flavor, with a texture that borders on being celery-like.

To me it’s like if celery were more interesting. For this recipe we’re also saving a bit of the fennel fronds to add more flavor. The fronds look like dill, but have a very sweet and gentle flavor that adds to the taste of this crisp salad.

This is called a shaved fennel salad because ideally you’ll use a mandoline to get super thin slices.

But, if you don’t have one (or don’t have one that’s big enough as in my case) you can simply cut the fennel bulbs thinly with a sharp knife for a similar effect. As long as all your slices of various fruits and veggies are similar in thickness then you’ll have a very easy-to-eat salad.

The dressing for this salad is very simple, with just some lemon juice, oil, and sugar. But, you can use honey if you prefer for a more flavorful dressing.

This is a light and zesty salad where each of the fruits and veggies gets to shine.

This unusual side will make your meal pop in a special way and all you have to do is toss some veggies with a simple dressing.