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Grilled Italian Sausage With Fennel Salad

4.6

(8)

sausage dish on plate on wooden surface with side dish of fennel salad with spoons
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime

A few skewers and a hot grill turn this short list of ingredients into a quick, punchy meal. Italian sausage links or a long coil work equally well; I like to thread four links together onto a few skewers so I only have to flip one self-contained batch. As for the built-in side dish, cutting the fennel before threading the slabs onto skewers means you’ll get great grill marks on each piece, imparting a ton of smoky, toasty flavor. Collect and thinly slice any pieces of fennel that fall off while you’re prepping the slabs to add some raw notes to the vegetable component, made complete with buttery Castelvetranos and peppy pickled Peppadews. —Kendra Vaculin

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

1

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more

2

large fennel bulbs with fronds

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1

cup pitted Castelvetrano or other green olives, smashed

½

cup drained Peppadew peppers in brine, coarsely chopped

2

Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1

lb. sweet or spicy coiled Italian sausage, preferably skewered, or links

Special Equipment

Six to eight 8"–12" metal skewers, or bamboo, soaked 30 minutes

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Lightly oil grate. Trim fennel bulbs; reserve ¼ cup fronds. Slice bulbs through root ends into ⅓”-thick slabs and thread onto skewers. Drizzle with oil and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

    Step 2

    Thinly slice any stray pieces from fennel bulbs; place in a medium bowl. Add olives, peppers, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp. oil; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

    Step 3

    If using links, thread sausage horizontally onto 3 parallel skewers, spacing about 2” apart.

    Step 4

    Grill sausage over direct heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Move over indirect heat and continue to grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10–15 minutes more. Transfer to a platter.

    Step 5

    Meanwhile, grill reserved fennel skewers over direct heat, turning halfway through, until fennel is charred and tender but still holds its shape, 8–10 minutes. Remove from skewers and add to bowl with olives and peppers. Add reserved fennel fronds; toss to combine.

    Step 6

    Spoon fennel salad over sausage.

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Reviews (8)

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  • Simple, easy and delicious.

    • Amy

    • Maryland

    • 9/6/2022

  • I liked this more than I thought I was going to. Grilling the fennel cuts the flavor strength and acidity. It also gives the fennel an amazing texture. I think adding some shaved parm reggiano and some rustic homemade croutons from ciabatta would make this into a great dinner salad. My husband wouldn't touch the fennel salad but was happy to eat sausage hoagies and the peppadews and olives separately. Go figure, since he's Sicilian.

    • HeatherT

    • Bristol, CT

    • 6/24/2022

  • The simple fennel salad is a great combo that was a refreshing, acidic bite against the richness of the sweet sausage. I added grilled scallions.

    • Spatulacity123

    • Los Angeles

    • 6/23/2022