Salmon and Fennel Salad

I've never eaten raw fennel until now. I've used it many many times in a favorite dish I make that I refer to as fennel gnocchi, but it was cooked.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Salad-with-Fennel-Orange-and-Mint-356713

So. Let me say that raw fennel is fantastic. In salads it brings a wonderful flavor and crunch. When I say fennel I am talking about this:

Some grocers call it "anise". It smells like anise. Or black licorice. And you DON'T use the "fronds", only the bulb. I usually cut out the core as well since it's REALLY hard. You could always save the fronts and use it to make a veggie stock or something. Occasionally the recipe will tell you to use some frond, but not very often.

Anyway. The salad was really good. The salmon didn't cook all the way though, and I had to sear it in the pan. (However--I was pressed for time and didn't have time to let the salmon cool on it's own. It is possible it may have finished cooking during the sitting time). David and I both liked it quite a bit, but it is not very filling. We put it with a little butter lettuce and used no dressing. It had plenty of flavor already.

By the way, paying $3/lb for fennel is a rip off. In CA, it gets to at least half that price sometimes.