In northern Europe you may associate oranges only with summer. But in Spain they are used in cooking almost all year long. And there are so many meals in which you can exploit the benefits of citrus fruits, especially oranges, limes and lemons.
Fennel is so versatile. I have enjoyed fennel seeds in cake and bread, for example.
Its aniseed taste lends itself ideally to salads, soups and meat dishes.
Here is another recipe for a light meal or tapas which sees fennel combined with lime and manchego cheese.
But go easy on the other ingredients. It is the sharp flavour of the fennel that you want to taste above all else.
Now I know some people consider scallops too fiddly to bother with. But you are wrong people. Take this recipe as an instance. It is one of the most refreshing, light meals I have enjoyed in Spain. The scallops and the lime go together so well. It really is worth the effort of shelling the scallops. Think about it. Scallops, lime, ginger, brandy - I'm not sure cooking in Spain gets much better than this.
