Shaved vegetables tangled up with tangy-sweet sherry maple vinaigrette, capped off with irresistibly buttery and crunchy maple candied walnuts. This shaved celery root apple salad with fennel is crisp and fresh, but still appropriate for cooler fall days. A pile of this alongside a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup would be total weeknight dinner bliss! I also see this naturally vegan recipe as an ideal not-green Thanksgiving salad option with lots of make-ahead potential.
I will never stop trying to get you to eat celery root (also called celeriac). Fragrant and delicate celery flavor, pretty cream color, and delightfully crunchy in a salad like this. Paired with Honeycrisp apple, fresh fennel, and regular celery, you won’t be able to stop eating it.
The maple candied walnuts on top really stand out. It sounds difficult and fussy to execute but it couldn’t be simpler. You just toast the walnuts in a skillet until fragrant, add the maple syrup (plus a bit of salt), let it sizzle and steam, keep stirring, and once the maple syrup starts “clinging” to the nuts, you’re good. As it cools, the maple syrup forms a candy-like shell on the walnuts. So delicious!
I had to mirror that maple flavor in the vinaigrette. Sherry vinegar is my go-to in the cooler months–it has a nutty and complex flavor with hints of caramel sweetness. A nice pairing for this celery root apple salad! The dressing on its own will taste a bit too intense. Once combined with the vegetables, it all evens out.
A mandoline makes quick work of all the vegetables here. Everything except the apple holds up nicely in water for up to one day in the fridge. Just drain the vegetables and dry them off really well in a salad spinner if you go this route. Chopped parsley can be stored in a separate container. The apple does have to be done last minute to avoid browning. You can also make the walnuts and store them in a glass jar on the counter for up to 5 days ahead of time. Vinaigrette can keep in a jar in the fridge for 5 days also!
Shaved Celery Root and Apple Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
Maple Candied Walnuts
- ⅓ cup walnut halves
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- pinch salt
Sherry Maple Vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot, fine dice
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad
- 1 medium celery root (about 1 lb/454 grams)
- 1 medium fennel bulb
- 1 large crunchy apple, such as Honeycrisp
- 2 sticks celery (save the little inner leaves)
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley leaves
Equipment
- Mandoline Slicer
Notes
- It’s important to get the celery root sliced as thin as humanly possible. It can be quite chewy and firm if it’s too thick.
Instructions
Make the maple candied walnuts
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the walnuts. Toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the maple syrup and salt. The maple syrup will sizzle and bubble. Start stirring with a spatula. Once the maple syrup really starts clinging to the walnuts, after about 1 minute, turn off the heat.
- Transfer the walnuts to a plate and allow them to cool completely. Once cool, give them a rough chop.
Make the vinaigrette
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the shallot, sherry vinegar, water, salt, pepper, maple syrup, Dijon, grainy mustard, and olive oil. Secure the lid and give it a good shake to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the vegetables
- Remove the rough exterior from the celery root. From here, cut it into 4 wedges. Run each wedge on a very thin setting of your mandoline slicer. It should be paper thin! Transfer celery root to a large bowl.
- Adjust the mandoline slicer to a slightly thicker setting. Cut the fennel bulb in half and remove the core. Slice the fennel on the mandoline and transfer to the large bowl.
- Remove the core of the apple and slice on the mandoline. Transfer the apple to the large bowl.
- Slice the celery as thin as you can with a knife and transfer to the bowl. Chuck the inner celery leaves in there. Chop the parsley and add to the bowl as well.
Finish the salad
- Season all the vegetables in the bowl with salt and pepper. Pour all of the vinaigrette on top. Toss to combine. At this point I like to transfer the salad with tongs to a deep plate/shallow bowl, piling it up high. Sprinkle the maple candied walnuts on top and serve.
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