I came across homemade celery salt by accident. As part of my ongoing mission to use up every part of any vegetable, I dehydrated some celeriac leaves to use as a garnish for a savoury cheese and mushroom porridge (see next week’s column), and was astounded by their rich, umami flavour. It was then that I realised they could be ground with sea salt to make that old kitchen staple, celery salt. Celery salt can be used to replace regular table salt and as a flavour enhancer for just about any savoury dish, from soup to salad; it’s also delicious as a seasoning for meat or fish and, of course, makes a sublimely savoury bloody mary.
Homemade celery salt
Celery leaves are a common byproduct from a bunch of celery, and other uses for them are simply to add some flavour to all manner of stocks, soups, stews and salads. They can also be preserved by dehydrating them to make the umami-rich seasoning that is celery salt.
Celery is a natural source of sodium nitrate, which, like salt, is a natural preservative. Traditionally, celery salt was used as a preservative for meat and/or pickles, not least because it adds flavour – that’s why a steak seasoned with celery salt, for example, is notably delicious.
Leaves from 1 bunch celery
Sea salt
Pick all the leaves off a bunch of celery – the light-coloured ones at the core as well as the darker, outer leaves. Next, dry the leaves in the oven. To save on energy, I often roast them alongside something else that I’m already cooking, or I’ll use the residual heat after I’ve used the oven. The leaves will take about eight minutes to dry in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven, though they may take a little longer if you go down the residual heat route (depending on the original oven temperature, of course). Once the leaves are completely dry and crisp, but not browned, take them out and leave to cool.
Either grind the cooled dried leaves to a rough powder with your hands or finely chop with a knife, then stir into a jar of sea salt, but add only just enough salt to make sure it still has lots of celery flavour. Aim for aboutone part dried celery leaf powder to three parts sea salt, or a tablespoon for every three tablespoons of salt. Your celery salt will now keep indefinitely in a sealed jar.
