Fall

Celery Root, Fennel, and Apple Salad

January  8, 2011
5
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

For many years, I've hated celery (especially celery root) and fennel, but tender, young specimens from my CSA share and a revelatory dish at my favorite restaurant completely changed my mind on both of these. This salad was sort of a happy accident on Thanksgiving when I realized I didn't have enough fresh vegetables (just one kale salad) so I threw together a version of this at the last minute and it ended up being a big hit. A few days later, I recreated it one evening and it went over just as well - even with me, the avowed celery and fennel hater! And it's also a snap to throw together - a bit of chopping and a quick toss with a simple vinaigrette and it's ready to go. —raspberryeggplant

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 small fennel bulbs (or 1 large)
  • 1 small celery root (4 ounces) - or you can use a piece of a large root, but small ones taste better
  • 1 large apple (about 8 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Trim the base off the fennel bulb(s). If using a large bulb, cut the stalks off and cut the bulb into quarters, then thinly slice the bulb and the stalk and fronds. If using small bulbs, leave them intact and thinly slice the whole thing. Transfer everything to a large bowl.
  2. Peel the celery root and core the apple. Cut both into 1/8” matchsticks about 1 1/2" long and transfer to the bowl. (Tip: cut the celery root first so that the apple spends the least time exposed to the air and therefore browns as little as possible).
  3. Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss gently to combine. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors combine.
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

TheWimpyVegetarian January 8, 2011
This looks like a great combination of flavors. So great, that I spent the day creating a salad that's very similar and am just seeing yours now (I haven't been online today until now). My approach was a little different, but very very similar. I hope you don't mind if I post mine too!