I’ve seen several versions of this recipe. David Tanis from the NY Times published one and it also appeared in a 2014 issue of bon appetit. This recipe is a combination of both those recipes. The salad can be made ahead. Prepare the vegetables and toast the pine nuts, then dress it just before serving to take advantage of the crispness of the celery. It will begin to soften after an hour. It will still be delicious and makes great leftovers for lunch the next day, but it won’t have quite the same freshness.

Fennel and Celery Salad

I have finally overcome my own aversion to celery, this salad definitely helps. It wasn’t that I ever actively disliked celery (although I do dislike celery salt) and more that our CSA box of the time had a huge head of celery week, after week, after week. It became tiresome to find ways to use it up.

I used a mandolin for slicing the celery and fennel, a sharp knife works as well. They were cut about 1/4 inch thick.

This would be the perfect salad for a spring BBQ. Spread it out on a platter rather than in a bowl to take advantage of all those wonderful textures.

Fennel and Celery Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus the zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 or 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Preparation:

1. Put the lemon juice, zest and garlic cloves in a small jar or bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and shake or stir to mix. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
2. Remove the garlic cloves before dressing the salad.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pine nuts, toasted
• 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• About 4 ounces of parmesan, thinly shaved or thickly shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup of mint leaves, roughly torn
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad Preparation:

1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet (tossing frequently) or 350 degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. Watch them carefully as they will go from toasty brown to burnt quickly.
2. Place the fennel and celery in a bowl, season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove the garlic from the dressing, give it a shake or a whisk. Pour over the vegetables, and toss well. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
4. Transfer to a platter, add the parmesan and sprinkle over the parsley and mint.

Enjoy!

Fennel and Celery Salad