Experience the refreshing crunch of this celery and cucumber salad, featuring paper-thin slices of vegetables over a creamy almond spread. Easy to make, it’s perfect for picnics and everyday lunches.
Now that winter is finally behind us, I find myself craving all things green and fresh. That means more herbs and lots of salads (the crisper and crunchier the better).
This celery cucumber salad is one I make often. It’s clean, fresh taste embodies the lightness of springtime that I’ve been hungering for. Alone the ingredients sound more like an assortment for a vegetable platter than a salad, but shaved paper-thin and tossed with loads of fresh herbs, a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt, they transform into something altogether different and more enticing than the sum of their parts.
Preparing the salad involves a bit of slicing on a mandolin (link) and blending, but beyond that is fairly simple to pull together. Using a mandoline to create super-thin slices gives the salad a slaw-like consistency and an elegant presentation, but also tenderizes the vegetables and ensures that every bite is coated with fresh spring herbs like dill, parsley and mint.
I like to layer the dressed salad over a bed of creamy almond “cheese” spread (based on this dip) both for appearance and textural contrast. The crunch of the thinly sliced vegetables paired with the creaminess of the almond spread is really quite nice; light and refreshing, but also creamy and flavorful. You can also substitute store-bought hummus if you’d prefer. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
For the Salad:
- Cucumbers – You’ll need Persian cucumbers.
- Celery – You’ll need about 5 stalks of celery.
- Fennel – You’ll need about ½ medium fennel bulb.
- Herbs – I like a mix of flat-leaf parsley, dill and mint but you can use your favorite combination of herbs as well.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.
- Lime – You’ll need both the zest and juice.
- Topping– Use either chopped or sliced almonds to top (optional).
For the Spread (or substitute hummus):
- Almonds – You’ll need raw almonds.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
- Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
How to Make a Celery Cucumber Salad:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- If you’re making the spread you’ll start by bringing a small saucepan of water to a boil, adding the almonds, covering and soaking for 15-20 minutes.
- Next you’ll drain the almonds and remove the peels by squeezing each almond firmly at the base between your thumb and index finger until the skin pops off.
- Add peeled almonds and the rest of the spread ingredients to a small blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- To make the salad you’ll then thinly slice the cucumbers, celery and fennel on a mandolin and toss everything in a large bowl with the chopped parsley, dill, mint, olive oil, lime zest and lime.
- When you’re ready to serve, simply smooth the spread out onto plate and top with a mound of the shaved vegetables. Top with sliced almonds and you’re ready to serve.
Since you can prepare all the parts ahead of time and assemble when needed, this celery cucumber salad makes a great addition to a spring brunch, lunch or picnic.
Variations:
- Use fresh herbs of your choice.
- Substitute hummus for the almond spread or use a store-bought almond spread.
More Shaved Salads:
Cucumber Celery Salad
Experience the refreshing crunch of this celery and cucumber salad, featuring paper-thin slices of vegetables over a creamy almond spread.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced in half, seeds removed
- 5 celery stalks
- ½ medium fennel bulb, sliced in half
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill, stems removed, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoon fresh mint, stems removed, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml best quality extra virgin olive oil
- The zest of one small lime
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Pinch of freshly ground pepper
- Chopped or sliced almonds to top (optional)
For the almond cheese spread
- ½ cup/56 g raw almonds
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup/60ml filtered water (or coconut water kefir for extra tang and probiotics)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons/22ml lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make the almond cheese spread:
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the almonds to the boiling water, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain in a colander. Remove the almond peels by squeezing each almond firmly at the base between your thumb and index finger until the skin pops off.
- Add peeled almonds and the rest of the ingredients to a small blender or food processor and process until smooth. (Scrape down the sides of the bowl and adding more water as needed.) Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and chill until needed.
Make the salad:
- Thinly slice the cucumbers, celery and fennel on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife.
- Toss together shaved cucumber, celery and fennel with chopped parsley, dill, mint, olive oil, lime zest and lime juice in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread almond cheese onto plate and top with a mound of shaved vegetables, top with sliced almonds and an extra pinch of sea salt if desired.
Notes
Variations:
- Use fresh herbs of your choice.
- Substitute hummus for the almond spread or use a store-bought almond spread.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Paleo.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 305mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Rhonda says
Looks delicious!