A cool and crisp salad featuring crunchy thin slices of celery root, celery and apples in a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.
I would venture to guess that most of you have been eating celery all your life. Along with carrots it’s the raw vegetable of choice for dips and nut butters and has probably been in every child’s lunchbox at one point or another. This celery salad however is not that celery.
Yes, it too makes an appearance along with the tender leaves you find at the tops of the long crunchy stalks, but the star of the this particular salad is celery root.
Somehow this knobby, slightly rough around the edges root vegetable has been overlooked and under-appreciated by many. Perhaps it’s not-so-handsome exterior is intimidating, making it seem unapproachably difficult to navigate, but its crisp and delicate taste is worth the venture. The tan colored exterior houses a crisp and creamy white flesh with a flavor reminiscent of celery stalks but milder and with a slight nutty quality.
The mild root appears quite frequently in French cuisine julienned and drenched in a mayonnaise-based dressing under the name céleri rémoulade. It’s a classic there and can be found virtually everywhere but I have to admit it’s never been the most inviting of salads to me. The thick dressing clings to the strands of celery root creating what’s often a soupy salad that becomes soft and soggy.
My celery root salad is a lighter take on the French classic. I’ve swapped out the mayonnaise for a vibrant mustard vinaigrette and paired the celery root with thin slices of crunchy fresh tart apples and crisp celery stalks for a light salad with a clean crunch. Sliced up paper thin and layered with specks of green parsley and a fistful of toasty walnuts it’s fresh and light with a zippy tang and a wonderful accompaniment to those heavier cool-weather meals.
Have you ever had celery root?
Serves Serves 4 to 6
A vibrant mustard vinaigrette is paired with celery root and thin slices of crunchy fresh tart apples and crisp celery stalks then topped with buttery walnuts for a light salad with a clean crunch.
25 minPrep Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoon apple cider or white wine vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Tablespoons walnut oil )
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 medium celery root
- 1 medium tart apple (like granny smith or fuji)
- 4 medium celery stalks
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ a large lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons, fresh celery leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup/ 28g walnuts , toasted
Instructions
- Combine the mustard and vinegar and whisk together. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Peel and quarter the celery root and julienne on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Toss with one Tablespoon of the lemon juice in a large serving bowl and set aside.
- Core and cut the apple into quarters and julienne on a mandoline or with a sharp knife . Toss the apple with shaved celery root and the remaining Tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside.
- Thinly slice the celery stalks on a mandoline or with a sharp kife and toss with the celery root and apples.
- Toss with the finely chopped celery leaves, parsley leaves and mustard vinaigrette until well combined.
- Top with the toasted walnuts and an additional sprinkle of sea salt if desired before serving.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo
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