• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
End of the Fork
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • HOW-TO
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • HOW-TO
    • ABOUT
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    • Chicken rub in small glass jar with spoon on wooden board.
      Dry Rub For Chicken
    • Firni in glass bowl with garnish of small dried roses
      Firni
    • Creole seasoning in glass bowl.
      Creole Seasoning
    • Boiled lemons in small green bowl.
      Boiled Lemons
    • Stack of oatmeal raisin cookies.
      Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
    • Banana and date oat cookies on a lined baking sheet.
      4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)
    • Butter beans salad in red bowl.
      Italian Butter Bean Salad
    • Closeup of tahini sauce with herbs in green bowl.
      Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
    • Baked frittata in a cast iron wedge pan.
      Mini Frittatas
    • Cowboy salsa in a red bowl surrounded by ingredients.
      Cowboy Salsa
    • Blueberry blondies on baking paper.
      Blueberry Blondies
    • Three stacked banana blondies on baking paper.
      Banana Blondies

    Home » Recipes » Appetizers Dips Sauces

    Fennel Gratin

    Published Jan 25, 2017, modified Mar 6, 2021 by Nicole Shroff / 10 Comments /

    Jump to Recipe
    Pin image fennel and gratin with text overlay

    This Fennel Gratin is easy and quick to make and only requires 4 ingredients. Serve as a side with roast or grilled meats, seafood or as a delicious dip.

    The Florence Fennel is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, grilled, roasted or eaten raw.  It’s aniseed flavour can transform a salad or perfectly compliment a fish dish.

    How to use fennel

    Fennel grows wild throughout Italy and both the bulb and dried fennel seeds are used a great deal in Italian cuisine. The bulb is often sliced very thinly into a salad (adding a delightful anise flavour and a lovely fresh crunch), its herbs sprinkled over fish as a garnish, or the dried seeds are used in cured and cooked meats.

    While raw fennel is crunchy with a fresh, sweet anise-like flavour, braising/baking makes it tender and sweeter (similar to cooking carrots). The anise and lemon flavours make it an excellent accompaniment to fish or fatty foods.

    Why this works

    The fennel is cooked in a pan, where the flavours mellow, and are perfectly paired with the nutty and intensely rich flavour of the Parmesan cheese.

    How to cut fennel

    • Wash the fennel.
    • Slice off the frilly fronds from each bulb, but do not throw these away as they make an excellent garnish.
    • Cut the fennel bulb vertically down the middle.
    • Cut out the hard core at the bottom of the bulb.
    • Thinly slice the fennel vertically or horizontally.

    How to make it

    1. Place the sliced fennel in a medium skillet with 2 or 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with salt, cover pan and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally and allow to caramelize to a light golden colour.
    2. Add cream or milk, raise heat to boil, then cover and simmer on low for 5 or 10 minutes, till tender.
    3. Add 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, and mix well. Place in oven dish and grill till golden brown.

    How to serve

    Serve warm as a side or as a main course with warm bread.

    More Dips & Sauces recipes


    ⭐️ Are you making this recipe? Do let me know how it turned out in the comments! And please give it a star rating below!

    Instagram – I love seeing your creations, so post a picture, tag @endofthefork and hashtag #endofthefork

    ⚜

    📋 Recipe

    gratin in round dish cooling on a wooden tray

    Fennel Gratin or Dip

    Nicole Shroff
    This Fennel Gratin is easy and quick to make and only requires 4 ingredients. Serve as a side with roast or grilled meats, seafood or as a delicious dip.
    5 from 3 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Side
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 263 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 fennel bulbs
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • salt to taste
    • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
    • 100 milliliters milk or full fat cream

    Instructions
     

    • Cut fronds off the fennel bulbs* and slice away root end. Wash, halve and slice the bulbs finely.
    • Place the sliced fennel in a medium skillet with 2 or 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with salt, cover pan and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally and allow to caramelize to a light golden colour.
    • Add cream or milk, raise heat to boil, then cover and simmer on low for 5 or 10 minutes, till tender.
    • Add 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, and mix well. Place in oven dish and grill till golden brown. Serve warm as a side.

    Notes

    *Slice off the frilly fronds from each bulb, but do not throw these away as they make an excellent garnish.

    MEASUREMENT NOTES

    The ingredients here on EOTF are set out in grams & milliliters and in US cups & spoons.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 333mgPotassium: 1035mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 919IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 206mgIron: 2mg
    Did you make this recipe? I'd love to know how it turned out! Let me know by leaving a review below, or snap a photo and share it on Instagram tagging me @Endofthefork.
    SUBSCRIBE for new recipes
    Facebook Pin Recipe Email

    More Appetizer, Dip, Sauce Recipes

    • Close up of roasted lamb ribs on white platter.
      Turkish Lamb Ribs
    • Cherry sauce in glass jar with spoon.
      Cherry Sauce
    • A white bowl containing Scottish smocked haddock soup topped with fresh parsley and parsley in the background.
      Cullen Skink Recipe
    • Red pepper dip in glass jar with metal spoon.
      Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rezel Kealoha

      October 25, 2017 at 9:03 pm

      5 stars
      What a great idea! I never thought to make it into a gratin!

      Reply
      • Nicole

        October 25, 2017 at 9:16 pm

        Thanks Rezel, this one is my mother’s recipe 🙂

        Reply
    2. NicoleShillings

      May 15, 2017 at 11:57 am

      Oh wow! This sounds so decadent! I love fennel. We eat quite a lot of it. I’ll have to give this a try!

      Reply
    3. The FoodOlic

      May 05, 2017 at 11:52 am

      I like to learn about new flavours! I’m not so used to fennel but this sounds great. I do know it’s taste raw which I enjoy in “small” amounts but now I’m intrigued about cooking it! And what better wait then making a gratin with it! Yum!

      Reply
    4. Pretty Patel

      March 19, 2017 at 12:04 pm

      I love fennel and this gratin looks so good. I need to try this dish as I have some fennel in my fridge!

      Reply
    5. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours

      February 22, 2017 at 12:32 pm

      Fennel is such a wonderful vegetable to cook with; and I love that you don’t need many ingredients to make a simple and delicious dish. I’d be happy with a serving of just this on my plate.

      Reply
    6. Deanna Samaan

      February 22, 2017 at 12:26 pm

      This looks so yummy!!!

      Reply
    7. Renz

      February 22, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      Love that this dish is quick and easy to make. Perfect weeknight dinner.

      Reply
    8. Cristie - Little Big H

      February 22, 2017 at 11:54 am

      I’m a big fan of fennel so I already know that I will love this. Love the simplify of it.

      Reply
    9. Luci {Luci's Morsels}

      February 22, 2017 at 3:31 am

      Yum! This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Photo of Nicole.

    Browse my site for healthy and seasonal recipes from around the world, read about great ingredients, and get handy tips for working in the kitchen. Also, check out my restaurant reviews for some great dining experiences! more about me →

    Eating Seasonally

    What are in season foods and why we should be eating seasonally

    Summer Recipes

    • Close up of pear cobbler with scoop of vanilla ice cream.
      Pear Cobbler
    • Chocolate covered orange cake with slice cut out.
      Chocolate Orange Cake
    • Close up of cherry muffins.
      Cherry Muffins
    • Slice of blueberry muffin loaf on a blue platter.
      Blueberry Muffin Bread

    What is the healthiest meat?

    We look at the differences between lamb, goat, mutton and chicken.

    Trending Now

    • Image of Linguine with tomato sauce and fresh basil in white bowl
      Pasta With Ricotta And Tomato Sauce
    • Image of broccoli cheese muffins on wooden board.
      Broccoli & Cheese Breakfast Muffins
    • Image of overhead view of zigni on injera bread.
      Zigni
    • Image closeup of cooked cavolo nero in green bowl.
      Cavolo Nero With Garlic And Lemon

    Top Categories

    Breakfast Chicken Lamb Seafood Light Meals Soup Salad Sides Beans Cookies Dessert

    Cookout Recipes

    • Fennel salad in yellow bowl on chequered cloth.
      Orange And Fennel Salad
    • Two assembled spicy chicken wraps on a blue platter.
      Spicy Chicken Wraps
    • Image showing grilled steak, burgers, kebabs and pineapple.
      60+ Easy Summer Grilling Recipes
    • Tomato salad with gremolata on glass plate
      Italian Tomato Salad

    Footer

    As seen in:

    FOCUS MAGAZINE - FOODGAWKER - KITCHEN THYME - ZOMATO - FLIPBOARD - PARADE - YUMMLY - FOOD52 - QUORA - FINDING VEGAN - SECOND GEAR GAMES

    ^ BACK TO THE TOP ^

    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • WORK WITH ME
    • SHOP

    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • Pinterest

    @ 2023 End of the Fork. All Rights Reserved.