Celery Root ( Celeriac ) Salad with Ginger Shrimp

This salad reminds me of a Waldorf salad because of the apples and walnuts. And the Parmesan dressing reminds me of a Caesar salad. But the ginger-flavored shrimp is what turns this salad into an entire meal. All you need is some rustic country bread and a glass of chardonnay.

I may make this for my next book club meeting. Speaking of my book club, we have read some interesting books lately which I would have never chosen on my own. We even saw a fun play called “The Book Club” by Karen Zacarias.  One the books that got rejected in our bookclub was The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. I just started to read it and I love it. This book is a bestseller in Germany.

Celeriac, also known as celery root, turnip root, or knob celery is a variety of celery cultivated for its edible root. It has a strong flavor like a cross between celery and parsley. The BBC describes the celery root as an unsung hero with a subtle, celery-like flavor, with nutty overtones. I like that description. Don't throw the green leaves away because they give any stock a wonderful flavor and freeze nicely. Celeriac, a common vegetable in Germany, is often sold as part of a soup stock bundle. You usually get a couple of carrots, a leek, some parsley and part of a celery root with the green leaves tied together. All you have to do is throw it in with some chicken (and the bones) and you end up with some great chicken stock. My mom always cooked the whole celeriac with the peel in boiling water until it was soft.

How many of you my dear readers have walked by this gnarly root in the supermarket hardly looking at it? And if you did, did your ask yourself, what can I do with this funny looking thing? There are many recipes to choose from: a gratin, a purée, a soup or just adding it as a vegetable to different dishes like mashed potatoes. In France, it is often used as a remoulade. I love my celeriac in salads, not raw but blanched for no more than a minute in boiling water. I remember eating a celeriac root salad for Sunday dinner in Germany. It was made with a sour cream dressing. My recipe comes from a German magazine, although I changed it a bit.
 I made this salad for the first time over a year ago and invited my friend Deb from
         East of Eden Cooking. She made most the photos for this post. Thank you, Deb!

Celeriac is supposed to have some healing properties. It might help you with arthritis, rheumatism and with stomach or digestive problems.  A cup of celeriac has only 60 calories and provides a perfect non-starch substitute for potatoes. And it can be prepared similarly.

Here is a recipe for a delicious and easy to make shrimp soup with celeriac from the town of Hamburg in Germany. Click here for the soup recipe.

Celery Root ( Celeriac ) Salad with Ginger Shrimp Recipe

Choose a firm celeriac that feels heavy. Some people say the smaller ones have more flavor. I usually buy the larger ones. This salad becomes very elegant if you use large prawns.

The peeled and sliced celery roots

The celery root sticks are being blanched

Print Recipe

Ingredients 

(makes 4 to 6 servings)

The salad 

1 to 2 celeriac roots (about 1 pound or less)
coarse sea salt
​1 tsp table salt
1 tart green apple 
1 head of romaine lettuce
½ cup toasted walnuts
3 or more TBS lemon juice

The dressing

1 garlic clove  (1 tsp peeled)
½ tsp coarse sea salt
1/3 cup (100g) mayonnaise
1/3 cup (100g) European yogurt 
2 TBS prepared horseradish in a jar 
½ cup milk
1¼ cup (50g) freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp Worcester sauce
several drops tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste

The shrimp

16-20 large peeled shrimps with tails 
3 TBS olive oil  
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 TBS (30g, 1.5  ounce) minced ginger

Dressing

I use Trader Joe’s European nonfat yogurt and I use a micro grater to grate the parmesan cheese, which gives it a light and fluffy texture. I grate the cheese this way because it is less dense than usual, hence a lighter dressing. You don't want to overpower the flavor with too much cheese. 50 grams is 1.5 ounces.  Mash the garlic with the sea salt. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. The dressing can be kept in the fridge for several days and can be used on any salad.

Salad
Roast the walnuts in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool.
Using a sharp knife, cut both ends of the celeriac, then peel the rhino-tough skin. There will be a lot of peelings and roots for the compost pile. Slice the celeriac and then cut the slices into approximately ¼-inch thick and 2-inch long sticks. You will end up with different sizes,  I'm just giving you an estimate. Think thicker Julienne strips. Immediately after cutting the celeriac sticks, put them in cold water with either vinegar or lemon juice. You can use a mandolin slicer, but I did it by hand. Bring a large pot of salted (about 1tsp salt or more ) water to  a boil. Add the celeriac sticks and bring to boil again. Immediately drain the celeriac into a colander and rinse with cold water.  You want the sticks to be still crunchy. Drain the celeriac again and let it cool and dry. I kept mine in a container for several days, I sprinkled them with additional lemon juice.

Shrimp
Peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Make sure the shrimp is deveined. Rinse the shrimp and dry with kitchen towels. My husband does not believe in rinsing the shrimp because it washes out the flavor of the shrimp. Heat the the oil in a large frying pan. Depending on the size of the shrimp, sauté them for several minutes until they turn pink. Please, do not overcook your shrimp. If the shrimp are very large, wait a minute before adding the garlic and the ginger. Since mine were medium-sized, I added all the ingredients and sautéed my shrimp for about three minutes or less. 

Assembling the salad
Separate the leaves of the romaine and rinse them to remove any dirt. I used my salad spinner to dry them. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Wrap them in a towel and they will keep in the fridge for several days. Cut the apple into small slices (I didn't peel my apple). Mix the celeriac, lettuce and apples with half or less of the dressing. Sprinkle with the crushed walnuts and top with the shrimp. Serve extra dressing on the side. Since I had more than I needed, I served my salads over several days, keeping all the ingredients separate and mixing it with the dressing shortly before serving  One night I served the salad without the shrimp. 

Guten Appetit
recipe from a German Magazine
adapted by © Sunnycovechef