Celery Salad with Sour Apple and Walnuts

 

This is the best salad to eat next to any hunk of braised meat, or on its own in the middle of the day with shredded bits of leftover roast chicken. It’s celery-forward, and before you ask, you *could* use another vegetable, like fennel, but then it’s no longer a celery salad and you’ll have to live with that. For those who don’t get down with the raw onion of it all, you can soak it in cold water for a few minutes to mitigate some of the bite, or, reduce the amount in half. Simple on purpose, this salad is meant to provide crunch, texture, acidity and freshness where it’s needed (always, on every table). But if you’ve simply GOT to make it “more,” you can do that, too: Add in ½ a chopped preserved lemon, a dash of fish sauce, a few good pinches of sumac or za’atar, a blanket of grated parmesan or pecorino– you can have it all, take it wherever you like.

YIELD — 6-8 servings

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

  • 2 large sour or tart apples (such as Granny Smith), unpeeled, thinly sliced, core removed if you like

  • 1 bunch celery, leaves and stalks separated, thinly sliced

  • ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced

  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 cups parsley, tender leaves and stems

  • Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. Toast walnuts (or whatever nut you’re using) using whatever method you like (on a sheet pan in a 350° oven for 5–7 minutes, in a toaster oven is my preference); set aside. 

2. Toss apple, celery, onion, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Taste a piece of celery or apple and season with more lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add parsley, walnuts and drizzle with a healthy amount of olive oil, seasoning again with salt and pepper before serving. 

DO AHEAD: Celery and onion can be sliced a few hours ahead of time, I’d wait to do the apple last minute, as it can oxidize. Salad should be seasoned and tossed just before serving.

newsletter, vegetables, saladsAlison RomanComment