Homemade Celery Salt
Homemade celery salt couldn't be easier to make. I keep a bottomless jar of it on hand and use it on just about everything - eggs, soups, salads. It's hard to go wrong with it.
A number of you requested I post about making homemade celery salt. It's great. I mean it. You should make it too. If you make some each time you buy a bunch of celery, you end up with a bottomless jar of celery-spiked salt. And this way, minimal celery parts go to waste, except the celery strings - my suspicion is there won't be many tears shed over that.
How to Use Homemade Celery Salt
So many ways! Celery salt is good on buttered corn-on-the cob, green beans, in soups, in yogurt, sprinkled over eggs. It's great on things like macaroni salad, or egg salad, this shaved fennel salad, or this buttermilk farro salad. I bet it'd be great on Sara's Green bean salad, or Deb's Israeli salad. You get the idea.
The Key to Buying the Right Celery
Here's the catch. You have to find celery with leaves still intact. You'll likely have more luck at farmers' markets, but I've noticed more and more grocers sparing celery leaves from the trash. Also, leaves hide. You'll find more and more as you work your way from outside stalks to inside ones.
I make other salts on occasion too - a citrus salt version comes to mind. Also, one with herbs de Provence. Have fun experimenting!
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Homemade Celery Salt
I've made celery salt with a number of different types of salt, and the flaky, whispers of Maldon sea salt is my current favorite. The shards are similar in size to the crumbled celery leaves, which works nicely. With some of the finer sea salts, you get more separation. Which is not what you want.
- Leaves from one bunch of celery
- flaky sea salt (see head notes)
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Pick the leaves from each celery stalk, leaving the stems behind. The outer leaves tend to be dark green and hearty, the inner leaves pale green and tender. I use them all.
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Rinse the leaves with cold water in a strainer, then shake off as much of the water as you can. At this point you want to dry the leaves as much as possible, so they toast (not steam) when you cook them. Gently pat them dry in a clean dish towel, or paper towels. Once dry you have two options for toasting the leaves.
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If I have a lot of leaves, I arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then bake in a 350F / 180C oven for about 5-7 minutes. Bake until dehydrated and crispy, but not browned.
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If I have fewer leaves, or just don't feel like heating the oven, I'll throw them in a large skillet. Single layer if possible, over medium-low heat. Again, you want to barely toast them, not brown the leaves much.
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In either case, when you're done cooking. Remove from heat and let the leaves cool completely. They'll crisp up even more at this point. When cool, use your fingers to crumble the leaves completely, discarding any leaves that aren't crispy.
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Combine equal parts celery leaves and salt in a jar, and either stir or shake to distribute the celery leaves evenly throughout.
Roughly 1 cup. But yield depends on the amount of leaves.
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Comments
I LOVE this. I LOVE celery and salt. What a better idea then to make your own. Drool :)
This recipe is brilliant. I used celery leaves for the first time a couple of years ago and now throw them into salads, etc.. I am so excited to have this recipe to add to so much more. I'm going to make this today. I can hardly wait. Awesome.
Lovely idea, could you dry the leaves in the sun I wonder?
I absolutely love the fresh taste of celery seed in most cold summer sides but never buy celery salt as it always seems so synthetic tasting. I NEVER considered making my own celery salt. I will absolutely be making this pronto. I've been reading your blog for years and have started visiting a nutritionist. Your blog and books... especially Super Natural Ever Day have helped turn what could've been thought of as a punishing limiting diet into an exciting new challenge and rediscovery in the kitchen. Your recipes have made this journey delicious.
I adore it. I tried it in Belgium, they served us with cheese and beer. I'll try your recipe very soon. Thanks as usual. I've also received your last book. It's wonderful and rich of inspiration as the first one. Brava!
There's this great little herb & spice merchants in a pocket of Melbourne, I recently bought their Tahitian vanilla salt ~ need to get into the kitchen and try it out. The shop has so many interesting salts, sugars, herbs etc, it would suit you actually - I think Melbourne needs a visit from you, h!
Fantastic. I love the simplicity. Sea salt is my variety of choice as well - higher mineral content and although not as coarse as kosher salt, I love the variation in colour in the non-altered types.
such a cool idea! this is one of those things you never really think of making a homemade version of but then i'm sure the second i try it i'll be kicking myself for not doing it before :)
I've always wanted to make this! Thanks for the recipe!
Love this idea and always enjoy looking at your pictures.
Surprised to hear that the leaves of celery end up in compost for so many people. I use them in place of parsley if I've run out, and always in soups. Just throw them in with the celery in whatever recipe you're making. Suggest drying the leaves outside (on a parchment-lined cookie sheet) whilst the sunny summer weather is here. Works for me, and less heating up the kitchen! HS: Love the sun-dried tip. Not conducive to the SF summer unfortunately. :/
Thanks a lot for your recipe. I like so much this salt but never thought doing myself..
Great idea. I love putting the more tender inner leaves chopped up in salads. It adds great flavor to mixed greens.
Made some of this at Christmas time to put in soup, and it's delicious and has also just been sitting, forgotten about, on the shelf since then. Any idea if this salt keeps indefinitely? Also, love the idea of putting it on corn on the cob, can't wait to try that tonight!
Celery leaves always head straight to our compost pile, but I'll give this a try next time. I discovered flavored salts via Eric Gower, and I make and use matcha salt, lavender salt, tangerine salt, lime salt, hickory salt.... I love using those -- even on something completely simple like popcorn or eggs. It gives a subtle new dimension. Thanks for sharing!
what a great idea! Have to keep that in mind. maybe as christmas gifts?
oh wow I never even thought to make my own celery salt. You throw the leaves or rest away anyways so what a great idea. You can always use this for your bloody mary Thanks! Liz-CoolProducts
Great, simple recipe! Love that silver platter.
What a wonderful idea! I can't believe I didn't think about this, I hate wasting food and love celery salt. Thanks for sharing.
This is something new to me. Never try to do this before. I like it. But I like the smell of coriander, don't know it will work or not?