Fennel pollen

Fennel has a long history, used in ancient Rome and Greece for both food and traditional medicine. But the use of fennel pollen adds a modern twist to an old favorite, concentrating its flavors in

Wild fennel is considered an invasive weed, but in the culinary world, it’s coveted for the fresh golden pollen from its fragrant flower heads. Here’s how you can harvest the rare spice (for free!).

I got really into using fennel pollen a few years ago when I got addicted to Mario Batali’s Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Fennel Pollen. The first time I made it I didn’t have fennel pollen sitting around in my pantry, so I used Batali’s suggested alternative: ground up fennel seeds. The pollen, I quickly found, makes a difference. And so I started using it on everything. A pinch of this stuff, makes magic happen.

What's fennel pollen? We explain this unique and expensive spice that has the power to transform a dish, including where it comes from and how to use it in both sweet and savory recipes.

Try these recipes to start exploring all you can do with fennel pollen and then see how you can incorporate this widely loved ingredient into some of your favorite foods.

Simon Hulstone's fennel pollen cream recipe makes an elegant accompaniment to many fish and seafood dishes. Dill and fennel pollen makes a triumphant combination.

Fennel Pollen Panna Cotta with Honey and Caramelised White Chocolate — Butter and Brioche

I didn’t want what is left of summer to slip away without sneaking in this no-recipe recipe for zucchini carpaccio. The poor old zucchini – we call them courgettes in the UK – doesn’t get a lot of love. They are the also-rans compared to summer’s brightest stars – saline-sweet tomatoes, glossy eggplants, sky-climbing beans, … Continue reading

Sink a slice of crusty bread into this gooey baked brie recipe.

It's complex, beautiful, and worth the splurge

Traditional pots de creme with the delicate flavoring of fennel pollen

Let’s extol the virtues of fennel! Crisp with hints of anise, its round, white bulb is incomparably fresh and fragrant. Its fronds can be used as an herb. Its seeds are bursting with flavor. Its long stems are delightfully crunchy. Even the fennel plant’s pollen is an unbelievably aromatic culinary delicacy. In this dish, you’ll use fennel five ways in a minestra (a hearty, Italian pasta soup), made with late-summer corn and served with Parmesan-purple potato relish.

This chicken with creamy fennel broth is so delicious, spicy, and rich. We topped it with a fennel gremolata so no part of the fennel goes to waste!

Fennel Pollen apple cake - full of decadent flavor, indulgent aroma, simple goodness of honest ingredients and it tastes like home to me.

Here’s our recipe for Chocolate and Fennel. Like most of our food at The Three Blue Ducks we try to find ways of using every part of all the produce we source. The Fennel is grow in our kitchen garden, we used the bulb for the jam and the rest of the fennel, stalk and fronds goes into the icecream. The fennel pollen from wild fennel goes really well with this, if you can get your hands on it.

A coating of fennel pollen infuses the meat with intoxicating aroma. There's no need for strict measurement here. Simply use equal parts fennel pollen, salt and pepper for the rub, scaling up for as much as you need.

Recipe for asparagus with buttermilk and smoked oil

Fennel is used a lot in Italian cooking. But while the bulb features regularly in recipes, most people don’t realise that every part of fennel is edible – the stems, fronds and pollen also – and each delivers its own version of the wonderful fennel flavour. The fronds are great used in salads as a […]

This fennel and green apple sorbet dessert is incredibly refreshing on the palate and is best served on a warm day.