Double Celery Salad
Updated Feb. 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes, plus 35 minutes’ resting and marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1celery root (about 1½ pounds)
- Salt
- ¼cup lemon juice or mild white vinegar
- 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Tiny pinch of ground cayenne
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Tender pale celery heart with leaves, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- Spicy watercress, arugula or mizuna
- 2 or 3scallions, thinly sliced
Preparation
- Step 1
Remove the rough skin of the celery root with a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, leaving the root smooth and unblemished. Rinse if necessary.
- Step 2
With a mandolin or sharp vegetable knife, very thinly and carefully cut the celery root horizontally. Stack 3 or 4 slices, then cut crosswise to make matchsticks. Repeat until all slices are used (save any scrappy looking bits for a future soup or vegetable stock).
- Step 3
Place the raw matchsticks in a large bowl. Season well with salt and toss to distribute. Add lemon juice and toss again. Put a plate on top, pressing down on the matchsticks, and add some weight, like a heavy can or other heavy object, on top. This will allow the celery root to soften. Leave for 20 minutes at room temperature, or, if preferred, refrigerate up to 2 days.
- Step 4
Strain the matchsticks, reserving the liquid, squeezing with your hands to get all the juice. Place matchsticks in a salad bowl.
- Step 5
Make a vinaigrette as follows: Put 3 tablespoons of the reserved lemony liquid in a small bowl. Add the Dijon mustard to dissolve and stir briskly with a fork or small whisk. Slowly beat in the olive oil. The vinaigrette should thicken and emulsify. Add the barest hint of cayenne (just what clings to the point of a paring knife) and black pepper to taste.
- Step 6
Pour dressing over the drained celery root and toss well to coat. Taste and correct the seasoning. Let marinate for 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Step 7
Just before serving, add the sliced celery heart and leaves, add a small pinch of salt, and toss again.
- Step 8
Arrange salad on a platter or individual plates and surround with watercress sprigs. Sprinkle with sliced scallions.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Chantal
Maybe not as pretty as carefully cut matchsticks, but I use the large-hole grater disc of my food processor to grate celeriac. It definitely makes this a much easier process.
Cynthia
This was easy to make and had a wonderful earthy winter greens flavor. We served it with arugula, because I had some of that already in the fridge. Also, I decided to make it triple celery salad - added some celery seed to the dressing. Other than that, followed the recipe. With a sharp chef knife the matchsticking was not too tedious (I used a mandoline for disks, then knife for sticks) and I liked the texture of the matchsticks, although in the pinch grating would certainly taste just as good.
Chris S.
Awesome looking! Always eager for new recipes with celery root, which is delicious. This technique of softening it slightly sounds amazing. Thank you, David Tanis. Will use this technique and the salad dressing you provide here both in this dish and in many others.
mdurphy
A very nice winter dish. I threw in 5-6 thinly sliced kumquats, which gave it a welcome zip. Served over beautiful chicories.
laurabootsy
I added a splash of maple syrup to soften the acid, and a splash of balsamic. Nice and bright in winter!
Mary
I love this salad. I started with 1/8 c olive oil, then added 1 T more when adjusting seasonings. I also added < 1 t sugar then. I tried it first without greens, then used dandelion greens.
Pretzel
This recipe appeared as part of a dinner menu, and that's a good place for it. It's fresh-tasting and interesting, but a little fussy for, let's say, a weeknight at home. I also found it a little too tart – next time I would start with half the given amount of "lemony liquid." I wonder if it would be good as a kind of relish, or a small ingredient in a larger salad, rather than as the centerpiece. Thanks for the freshness!
Sarah
This salad is not same old stuff . Looks appealing but was not amazing. I added some dried cranberries to balance the acid and pumpkin seeds because I felt like it. I served it on a bed of arugula and a couple of small slices of seared tuna. Glad we tried it but not going into our regular rotation.
meghan
Add cornichons to salad
mdurphy
A very nice winter dish. I threw in 5-6 thinly sliced kumquats, which gave it a welcome zip. Served over beautiful chicories.
Fern3
I'm adding some chopped dates!
laurabootsy
I added a splash of maple syrup to soften the acid, and a splash of balsamic. Nice and bright in winter!
Mary
I love this salad. I started with 1/8 c olive oil, then added 1 T more when adjusting seasonings. I also added < 1 t sugar then. I tried it first without greens, then used dandelion greens.
Sally
Where can I find celeriac in Nashville?
JanetMWH
Try Whole Foods, or a nice produce market. It can be a limited season, so ask the produce person everywhere you shop!
Cynthia
This was easy to make and had a wonderful earthy winter greens flavor. We served it with arugula, because I had some of that already in the fridge. Also, I decided to make it triple celery salad - added some celery seed to the dressing. Other than that, followed the recipe. With a sharp chef knife the matchsticking was not too tedious (I used a mandoline for disks, then knife for sticks) and I liked the texture of the matchsticks, although in the pinch grating would certainly taste just as good.
Peter K
Not in love with this salad. Too much time to prepare, really..... a salad????!!!!! Also, not really that great dressing or flavor overall. I give it a C- for time to prep and a C for taste.
Chris S.
Awesome looking! Always eager for new recipes with celery root, which is delicious. This technique of softening it slightly sounds amazing. Thank you, David Tanis. Will use this technique and the salad dressing you provide here both in this dish and in many others.
Chantal
Maybe not as pretty as carefully cut matchsticks, but I use the large-hole grater disc of my food processor to grate celeriac. It definitely makes this a much easier process.
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