Fennel seeds are an essential spice in French cuisine, particularly in traditional recipes like sausages, fish stews, and bread. These aromatic seeds offer a warm and slightly sweet taste, enhancing the complexity of flavors in various dishes.

Bouillabaisse is an iconic Provençal fish stew that incorporates fennel as a key ingredient. The fennel's subtle anise flavor beautifully complements the seafood, resulting in a rich and fragrant broth.

One of my favorite uses for fennel in French cooking is braised fennel, a simple dish that’s the perfect side dish for any meal.

Here’s my recipe for braised fennel.

Braised Fennel

Ingredients

4 fennel bulbs the vegetable variety
2 tbsps butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of a lemon

Method

1. Cut the fennel into strips about 1 cm in thickness

2. Remove the heart from each fennel

3. Heat the butter in a large heavy-based fry pan

4. Place the fennel slices in the pan and brown them on each side

5. Once browned on each side add water to the pan until the fennel is half-covered

6. Cover the pan and cook for about 30 minutes

7. Turn the fennel every 10 minutes

8. Look after the water so that it doesn’t evaporate completely whilst cooking so if it looks like it might then add more water

9. The fennel is cooked when a knife goes through smoothly

10. Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate

11. Add the juice of the lemon to the remaining water and reduce by half for a lovely drizzle to go on top of the fennel and serve