Selleriesalat

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp chef's knife or mandoline with julienne blade
• •Large pot for blanching
• •Colander
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel and julienne the celeriac

   Cut the top and bottom off the celeriac so it sits flat. Peel it with a knife, not a vegetable peeler. The skin is too thick and knotted for a peeler to handle honestly. Cut the peeled root into thin slices, about three millimeters thick, then stack a few slices at a time and cut them into matchstick strips. You're aiming for pieces roughly the size and shape of a wooden matchstick. Drop the julienne into a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice as you work. The acid keeps the celeriac from turning brown, and celeriac oxidizes fast once it hits the air.

   If you have a mandoline with a julienne blade, now is the time to use it. Hand-cutting is fine and gives you a slightly more rustic texture, but a mandoline makes the job faster and the strips more uniform, which means they blanch and absorb the Marinade more evenly.
2. 2

   Blanch briefly

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drain the celeriac strips from their lemon water and drop them into the boiling water. Blanch for exactly sixty to ninety seconds. You want them just barely softened, still with a firm crunch at the center. The moment they start to bend without snapping, pull them out. Drain them thoroughly in a colander but do not rinse with cold water. You want them warm when the Marinade hits them.

   The blanching window is narrow. Test a strip at sixty seconds by biting into it. If it's lost its raw starchiness but still snaps between your teeth, it's ready. Overblanched celeriac turns limp and won't hold the Marinade properly. It becomes a different salad, and not one you want.
3. 3

   Make the Marinade

   While the celeriac blanches, whisk together the Apfelessig, Hesperidenessig if using, mustard, sugar, and a generous pinch of salt in a large bowl. Whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve. Then add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly, until the Marinade emulsifies into something slightly creamy and cohesive. Taste it. The Marinade should be assertively tangy with a warm mustard bite. It will taste too sharp on its own. That's correct. The celeriac will absorb and soften it.

   Hesperidenessig is a Viennese citrus vinegar with a floral, slightly bitter edge that's traditional in Austrian Marinades. If you can't find it, use a mix of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of lemon juice. You'll get close.
4. 4

   Dress while warm

   Tip the warm, well-drained celeriac strips directly into the bowl with the Marinade. Toss gently but thoroughly so every strip gets coated. This is the most important moment in the whole recipe. Warm vegetables have open pores. They absorb a Marinade in a way that cold vegetables simply cannot. If you let the celeriac cool first and then dress it, the flavors sit on the surface instead of getting inside. The difference is night and day.

   Gretel always said this about every Austrian Marinierter Salat: dress it warm, serve it cool. This principle holds for potato salad, bean salad, and celeriac alike. The dressing step is where the flavor lives or dies.
5. 5

   Add apple if using

   If you're adding apple, julienne it into strips the same size as the celeriac and toss it through the salad now. The tartness of a Granny Smith or a good Boskop works beautifully here, adding a fruit sweetness that plays against the mustard and vinegar. Don't add it too early or it will soften. Just before resting is right.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Cover the bowl and let the Selleriesalat rest in the fridge for at least one hour, ideally two or three. The flavors need time to settle into each other. Taste again before serving and adjust the salt, pepper, and vinegar. It often needs another splash of acid after resting. Serve cool, not ice-cold, in a small porcelain bowl or as part of a Gemischter Salat. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top just before it goes to the table. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a celeriac that feels heavy for its size and has a firm, unblemished surface. Tap it with your knuckle. If it sounds hollow, it's spongy inside and won't give you the crunch this salad depends on.
• •White pepper, not black. Austrian Marinierte Salate traditionally use white pepper because it disappears into the dressing without leaving dark specks. It's a subtle difference but it keeps the salad looking clean and pale, which is part of the appeal.
• •This salad gets better overnight. The Marinade penetrates deeper and the mustard mellows. If you're making it for a dinner party, make it the day before. It's one of those rare dishes that rewards patience with almost no extra work.
• •At a Heuriger, Selleriesalat is always part of a bigger spread. Serve it alongside Erdäpfelsalat, Gurkensalat, and a few slices of good bread with Liptauer. That's a proper Viennese cold buffet.

Advance Preparation

• •Selleriesalat can be made up to two days ahead and stored covered in the fridge. The flavor deepens with time. Add the apple, if using, no more than four hours before serving so it keeps its crunch.
• •The Marinade can be whisked together a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before dressing the warm celeriac.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)