Fennel Seeds Organic

$5.00

SINGLE INGREDIENT | ORGANIC | NON-GMO | WHOLE

One little seed does two big jobs. In the kitchen, fennel is everywhere: Italian sausage and taralli, Middle Eastern spice blends and breads, Provencal fish, Chinese five-spice, and the tempered oil at the start of an Indian dal.

After dinner, its been chewed for centuries to settle the stomach and freshen the breath. Ours is a sweet, aromatic fennel, so plump and fragrant that it's converted many self-described licorice-haters! 

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What We tell customers about Fennel Seeds

In the house we grew up in, a small dish of fennel sat out after every meal. You chewed a pinch before leaving the table, because everyone did. It settled the stomach and freshened the breath. That habit isn't only ours, you'll find the same after-dinner ritual in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern and Indian traditions too. Long before anyone studied compounds like anethole in a lab, people across all these kitchens were reaching for fennel after meals because they noticed how much better they felt. We tell people to use fennel seeds for bloating because it eases occasional gas and the overfull feeling.*

A tip we give customers at the store that takes it a step further: brew a teaspoon of fennel seeds and ginger root together to make a simple after-dinner tea. It's one of the easiest digestive habits you can build, and it tastes good enough that you'll actually keep doing it.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your doctor if you are on medication, have a health condition, or are pregnant, nursing, or having surgery.

  • What to use it on

    Stir whole seeds into Italian sausage, meatballs, or a pot of tomato sauce.

    Toast a teaspoon and add it to the oil at the start of an Indian dal, lentil soup, or vegetable dish.

    Work it into a Middle Eastern spice blend, or into bread and cracker dough before baking.

    Add to fish or seafood before roasting, the classic Mediterranean pairing.

    Drop some into the water when you boil rice for a subtly aromatic result.

    Brew a teaspoon steeped in hot water for 10 minutes after dinner as a simple digestive tea, or with a teaspoon of ginger for the combo.

  • How the pros use it

    Toast fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes. The moment you smell that nutty, deeper aroma, take them off the heat and transfer them straight to a plate to cool. Do not leave them in the pan. The residual heat will keep cooking them, turn them brown, and pull out a bitterness you do not want. Once they're cool, use them in anything savory and you'll wonder why you ever used them raw.

  • Who should use extra caution

    For most people fennel is one of the gentlest everyday spices, safe to cook with and chew daily. A couple of cautions worth knowing: fennel contains phytoestrogens, so medicinal or concentrated amounts (not a pinch after dinner, but supplement-level doses or strong daily tea) aren't recommended during pregnancy or with an estrogen-sensitive condition without checking with your doctor first.

Questions from our Laguna Beach Store customers about Fennel Seeds

It's the reason most people reach for them. Fennel has been chewed after meals across India for generations to ease gas and settle the stomach, and in Ayurveda it's considered tridoshic, gentle and balancing for all body types. Researchers continue to study its naturally occurring compounds, including anethole, for their role in digestion. A pinch chewed after a meal or a teaspoon steeped as tea is one of the most accessible digestive habits you can build.

Yes, and in Ayurveda that's exactly the point. Fennel is gentle enough for daily use across all body types. A pinch chewed after meals or brewed as a simple tea is one of the first spices I encourage people to start with when they're looking for gentle everyday digestive support.

They taste similar but come from different plants. Fennel seeds are larger, greener, and sweeter with a milder anise quality. Anise seeds are smaller and more sharply licorice-like. In most savory recipes they can be swapped, but fennel is gentler and more versatile, especially in Indian and Mediterranean cooking.

Put Fennel Seeds To Work

Zippy Fennel Shrimp

Serves 4 to 5

Toasted fennel, lemon, and garlic on quick-seared shrimp, a bright, warm weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb very large shrimp, tails on, deveined
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 4 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and season with the fennel, red pepper flakes, plenty of salt and pepper, and the zest of both lemons.
  2. Add the garlic and olive oil and use your hands to coat the shrimp evenly.
  3. Heat a skillet to medium-high and cook the shrimp until pink and firm, then douse the pan with the juice of both lemons and serve immediately.
  4. Enjoy!

Download the printable recipe card (PDF)