Winter Salad with Shaved Celery Root and Fennel
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My winter salad combines thinly sliced and shaved raw seasonal veggies, including celery root, fennel bulb, and radicchio. Tossed with salad greens and a punchy lemon dressing, this vibrant salad will perk up any cold day.
If you’re a fan of using seasonal produce, you might feel that making a salad in winter is a challenge. But I think it just comes down to looking at cool-weather veggies in a different way!
Celery root is a case in point: It’s not something you’d imagine would be great to eat raw, but its mild, sweet taste and delicate crunch works beautifully in a salad, especially when it’s grated and combined with shaved fennel and tender greens.
Put the salad in a large bowl to serve it, and instantly add an uplifting jolt of color to the table — just what you need to help round the corner until springtime brings more green things!
About the ingredients
- Celery root: Also called “celeriac”, this gnarly-looking vegetable tastes like a milder version of green celery and it keeps in the fridge for at least a month or more. It’s related to the green celery we all know, only it’s grown for its root end rather than the stalks. Celery root is a really delicious vegetable to get to know. If you don’t have celery root, substitute with 1 cup thinly sliced green celery.
- Radicchio: A type of Italian chicory that has vibrant red leaves and a slightly bitter taste. It’s wonderful paired with bold flavors (as in my radicchio salad with blue cheese and walnuts). Substitute about 1 cup shredded red cabbage.
- Romaine lettuce: Salad green with sturdy, crunchy leaves. You can use light green romaine hearts for this salad, or shredded kale leaves.
- Fresh fennel: “Finocchio” in Italian, this edible bulb has a lovely anise flavor and sweet crunchy texture. You’ll use the entire bulb plus the fronds.
- Pomegranate seeds: Fresh pomegranate seeds add a lovely “pop” of juicy sweetness and crunch. You can swap them for dried cranberries or dried cherries.
Creamy lemon dressing
The dressing for my winter salad is a creamy vinaigrette that you can simply shake in a mason jar. It will remind you of a lighter and sweeter version of caesar salad dressing — it’s a great match for the assertive flavors of the radicchio and celery root.
- Lemon: Fresh juice and zest
- White wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Maple syrup
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Creme fraiche or sour cream
- Garlic clove
Winter salad variations:
Make this salad your own with more ideas and add-ins.
- Crumble blue cheese or feta cheese over the salad.
- Add a handful or two of arugula greens, torn escarole or baby spinach.
- Toss in citrus slices, like tangerine, orange or grapefruit.
- Top the veggies with chopped nuts, such as pecans, pistachios or glazed walnuts.
- Add sliced pears, apples or fresh raspberries for a touch of sweetness.
Crunchy Winter Salad with Shaved Celery Root and Fennel
Ingredients
Lemon dressing:
- Grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (60 g) crème fraiche or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine or rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Make the salad:
- 1 head romaine heart, washed, dried and torn or sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups (80 g) mixed greens, such as shredded kale or escarole, arugula and spinach
- 1 cup shredded radicchio
- 1 small celery root (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into matchsticks* see note below for instructions
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, stems trimmed and feathery fronds reserved for garnish
- ½ cup (82 g) dried cranberries, cherries, or fresh pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup glazed walnuts, pecans or chopped pistachios
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Put Grated zest and juice from 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon white wine or rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon grated garlic, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a jar with a lid. Shake well, until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Make the salad
- Put the romaine, mixed greens, radicchio, celery root and red onion in a large salad bowl.
- Peel the base of the fennel bulb with a vegetable peeler to remove the tougher outer layer. Slice the fennel very thinly using a sharp knife or shave on a mandoline. Add to the salad bowl.
- Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
- Transfer the salad to a serving plate. Drizzle with additional dressing and sprinkle with dried cranberries and nuts. Garnish with fennel fronds.
Notes
- The lemon dressing can be made up 5 days before using and refrigerated. Shake well to blend before dressing the salad.
- To prep celery root: Use a large, sharp knife to slice off the top and root end. Stand the celery root with one cut side down and remove the outer skin with the knife by slicing all around perpendicular to the cutting board. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the celery root to keep it from turning brown, then slice it very thinly. Stack the slices and slice into 1/8-inch wide matchsticks.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Crunchy balanced and absolutely delicious. Make sure to slice the celery root VERY thinly. The maple syrup in the dressing adds just enough sweetness to offset the bitter veggies.
this salad looks gorgeous! Definitely need to give it a try soon! Where are your backdrop boards from because this one is stunning!! Keep up the amazing recipes!!
Thanks so much Kasey! The board in this photo was made by Erickson. Cheers!
Christmas dinner for 26…Was a huge hit!!! Not only is this salad so beautiful the flavors together are amazing…it is a salad that feels good when your eating it! I did not include the anchovies, substituted the garlic w/shallots and added just a dollop of Greek yogurt to the dressing. a beautiful elegant, sophisticated salad! Thank you! (FYI I thru the recipe away after my daughter and i made it…a bit time consuming, but after seeing the beauty of it and the taste of it..i dug it back out of the trash to be sure i printed out the right one! Definitely a keeper and a remake!
Also did not add the red onion!
Beautiful! So happy you enjoyed it Marianna!
This salad was served with Christmas dinner. The bitterness of the radicchio and celeriac and sweetness of the finocchio along with the creamy dressing and crunch of the pomegranates…well…one guest devoured it all once. Funny thing…I forgot to add evoo to my dressing.
Good thing I “over shop” for ingredients. I made it again, the day after Christmas, and we didn’t leave anything in the bowl!
Thanks, Karen and Happy Holidays!
Yes – always a good idea to overshop! So happy you made this and everyone enjoyed (even without the EVOO!) Happy holidays to you xo
Made this to bring to a friend’s for dinner. Huge hit! That dressing is such a nice change. Had to improvise since pomegranates are out of season; used dried cherries for the tartness and sunflower seeds for the crunch. Definite keeper!
I love these wintery salads! This dressing will be a nice change from what i usually put on mine!
that celery root is staring into my soul
The salad is stunning. We’ve been getting such great greenhouse grown lettuces at the farmers market. I look forward to trying the recipe!
El-How lucky you are to have a winter farmer’s market! It tempers this beast of a winter to have stuff grown in a greenhouse. I could venture into Union Square to the market but haven’t been up to the trek…early spring for sure.
That sounds like a wonderful winter salad and I happen to have a head of radicchio and a lonely celery root waiting to be put to good use in the fridge right now!
Those celery roots do get lonely, poor things. Hope you make the best of yours.