Bright and crunchy when raw, soft and supple when cooked, and an essential part of mirepoix—the combination of onions, carrots, and celery that forms the base of a myriad classic dishes—celery is an indispensable ingredient in our kitchen. We've rounded up our favorite celery recipes to help you make use of this versatile vegetable.
Crisp celery stands up well to quick picking. In our marinated celery and avocado salad, sliced celery and radishes are pickled in lemon juice and then tossed with avocado and kalamata olives. For a flavorful appetizer, simmer celery and shrimp until tender and lightly pickle them in a brine flavored with mirin, ginger, juniper berries, and more.
Besides using a stalk to garnish a Bloody Mary, you probably haven't given too much thought to using celery in cocktails. Celery juice, with its slightly bitter, assertive taste, is a great mixer. The Health Kick combines celery juice with aquavit, mezcal, and lime, while the Celery Tonic mixes it with Cocchi Americano, dry vermouth, lemon, and club soda.
Celery even has a place in dessert. To make an impressive vacherin, layer sponge cake with stewed rhubarb, celery semifreddo and sorbet, and crisp meringues and surround the tower with a moat of sugary rhubarb soup.
Find all of these dishes and more in our collection of celery recipes.
Marinated Celery and Avocado Salad
Crisp celery and radishes are lightly pickled in lemon juice in this salad from chef Juan Pablo Mellado Arana of Las Cabras in Santiago, which makes a perfect addition to any heavy Chilean meal.
Celery Tonic
This vibrantly-hued cocktail comes to us from Northern Spy Food Co. in Manhattan—fresh celery juice adds an earthy, bright flavor to Cocchi Americano and dry vermouth.
Health Kick
In this green cocktail, Los Angeles mixology consultant Matthew Biancaniello of Eat Your Drink (HarperCollins; 2015) doubles up on smoky flavors with both mezcal and grilled asparagus. Get the recipe for Health Kick »
Celery and Rhubarb Vacherin
The two stalky vegetables are a surprising but elegant pairing atop crispy-sweet meringue
Celery Martini
Fresh celery and lemon juices, Lillet, celery bitters, and gin combine for a clean and vegetal cocktail with a bright green hue.
Chicken Fricot
Chicken and vegetable soup dotted with airy dumplings is a beloved Acadian comfort food. Savory—a pungent, peppery herb—adds a piney zest. Get the recipe for Chicken Fricot »
Seafood Bubbly Bake
Haddock, lobster, and scallops combine in a creamy baked seafood casserole from North Rustico Harbour’s Blue Mussel Cafe; any combination of seafood—cod, clams, mussels, shrimp—will work just as well. This seafood casserole recipe first appeared in our October 2013 issue with the article Where the Farm Meets the Sea. Get the recipe for Seafood Bubbly Bake »
Smoked Salmon with Fromage Blanc, Chives, and Pickled Celery
Pickled celery balances the subtleness of fromage blanc in a simple and elegant canapé.
Endive and Roquefort Salad with Smoked Pepper Jelly and Hazelnuts
Green beans, herbs, endives, and pears are dressed in a sherry vinaigrette, sprinkled with Roquefort and toasted nuts, and drizzled with piquant pepper jelly in this salad from The Grain Store in London. Get the recipe for Endive and Roquefort Salad with Smoked Pepper Jelly and Hazelnuts »
Chicken Pot Pie
Classic, comforting pot pie gets an elegant boost with the addition of shaved black truffles.
Guatemalan Composed Salad (Fiambre)
Fiambre, which means “served cold,” is only eaten in Guatemala on All Saint’s Day.
Braised Celery and Tomato (Sedano e Pomodori Brasati)
Celery stalks’ stringy fibers, often removed before cooking, here act as a brace to help the vegetable keep its shape through a long simmer. The result is a sweet and luscious side dish.
Shrimp and Pickled Celery
Tender, simmered celery is paired with shrimp and lightly pickled for a uniquely flavorful appetizer.
Hoppin' John Soup
This soup of black-eyed peas and rice, traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day in the American South, makes good use of leftover holiday ham scraps.
Salt-Roasted Sea Bass with Celery Salsa Verde
Encrusting whole fish with a salt-and-egg white mixture keeps the fish incredibly moist as it roasts.
Neiman Marcus Chicken Salad
Neiman Marcus Chicken Salad, a classic department-store lunch item, gains richness from grapes, almonds, and a whipped cream dressing.
Mother-of-Pearl
Brisk and aromatic, celery flavors this savory gin and tonic variation in three ways: in a salt rim, in the bitters, and in the garnish. A fennel frond adds an extra layer of perfume to the drink. Get the recipe for Mother-of-Pearl »
Chile-Rubbed Turkey with Beet Stuffing
New Mexico and arbol chiles create a sauce similar to a mole that coats the turkey, while adding spice and depth.
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