Honestly, as a kid I wouldn’t eat this. It was on the table with the kip kerrie and the kip saté salade, and I left it alone.
As an adult it’s the one I want there. The kip kerrie is mayonnaise and the kip saté is peanut sauce, both rich, and this one has lemon and vinegar in it.
Selderij here means knolselderij, celery root, not the stalks. If you’ve had French céleri rémoulade you’ve had a close relative… though I haven’t been able to pin down whether the Dutch version came from the French one or whether both go back to something older, so I won’t claim it did.
The blanching is the step people skip and shouldn’t. Thirty seconds in boiling water, straight into ice water, then tossed with the vinegar. Raw celeriac in mayonnaise goes woody and weeps.
Then dry it properly. I use paper towel. Water left on it thins the dressing and you end up with soup.
Half mayonnaise, half Greek yogurt. Full mayonnaise is what the shops use and it’s heavier than I want on a sandwich.
The honey in this recipe came from Arjo’s Apiary in Oakland NJ, tended to by apiculturist Arnold Ludke.
Jump to the selderij parts: Ingredients 1:42 · Assembling 11:08 · Tasting 16:52
Selderijsalade
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Juice the lemon
- Measure out the vinegar
- Chop the parsley
- Peel the celery root
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Prepare a bowl with ice water
- Using a food processor, box grater, or mandoline, slice the celery root into thin strings.
- Once the water is boiling, add the celery root strings and blanch for 30 seconds.
- Quickly remove the celery root from the boiling water and transfer it to the ice water bath.
- Let it cool in the ice water for 5 minutes.
- Remove the celery root from the ice water bath and place it in a bowl. Toss the blanched celery root with the white vinegar, then strain it and let it air dry for a few minutes. I use paper towel to make sure it’s completely dry.
- In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and chopped parsley. Add the blanched celery root strings and mix everything together until well combined.
- Taste the salad and season with salt and pepper to adjust the flavors.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the salad for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld together.
Growing up with Dutch heritage, celery root salad was a staple at family gatherings, and this recipe brought back so many fond memories.
I loved how the lemon juice and white vinegar added a bright, tangy flavor that perfectly complemented the creamy mayo and Greek yogurt dressing. The touch of honey gave it a subtle sweetness, while the fresh parsley added a nice pop of color and freshness.
What impressed me the most was the texture of the salad. The blanched celery root had the perfect crunch, and the combination of flavors was just right. I served it at a recent barbecue, and it was a hit! Everyone was curious about the unique salad, and many asked for the recipe.
This Selderijsalade is now a go-to dish for our family picnics and gatherings.
I have no idea why we cannot get this in the US and I miss it dearly. Also fabulous on a crusty french roll, with some sliced hard boiled egg and a leaf of lettuce.