Apple and Celery Salad with Sunflower Seed and Chile Vinaigrette

Calabrian Chiles Bring Bold Heat to This Apple and Celery Salad

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You’ll be thinking about this unexpected, flavor-forward salad for days.

By Julia Sullivan

Published on October 31, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Celery Salad with Calabrian Chile and Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette — Photo:
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Total Time:

30 mins

Yield:

6 servings

This apple and celery salad is spicy, sweet, fresh, and delicious. Nutty sunflower seed kernels round out each zippy bite from 2018 F&W Best New Chef Julia Sullivan of Henrietta Red in Nashville.

Celery leaves provide an almost anise-like flavor while the celery lends a refreshing crunch. It’s all tossed with a piquant vinaigrette that includes jarred Calabrian chiles, tangy sherry vinegar, and tender mixed herbs.

Frequently asked questions

How spicy are Calabrian chiles?

Calabrian peppers range from 25,000 to 40,000 (out of 500,000) on the Scoville heat scale, which is a medium-hot. The jarred chiles bring a fruity and fiery heat; for a milder level of heat, decrease the amount of chiles.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Jarred whole Calabrian chiles are available at most specialty grocery stores or online at delallo.com. Our testers found there is a difference in Calabrian chiles depending on which brand you get — some are spicier than others — so taste before using.

Suggested pairing

Opt for a crisp, minerally Italian white to offset the heat of the chile vinaigrette, such as Piero Mancini Vermentino di Gallura.

Make ahead

It’s best to serve apple and celery salad soon after tossing it with the vinaigrette, and the vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

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Ingredients

Sunflower seed and chile vinaigrette

1/3 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seed kernels, roughly chopped, plus more kernels for garnish

Garnish

1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon seeded and minced jarred Calabrian chiles (about 8 chiles), plus 1 1/2 teaspoon reserved chile oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest plus 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced

Celery salad

1 bunch celery (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 apples (such as Fuji or Honeycrisp), cored and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped, plus more dill fronds for garnish
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped, plus more parsley leaves for garnish
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Make the sunflower seed and chile vinaigrette

Stir together sunflower seed kernels, shallot, chiles, lime zest and juice, garlic, salt, and vinegar in a small bowl until combined. Whisk in olive oil, basil, cilantro, and reserved chile oil. Set aside.

Make the salad

Separate celery stalks, and wash thoroughly with cold water. Remove leaves, and chop enough leaves to yield 1/2 cup. Reserve remaining whole leaves for garnish; set aside. Cut celery stalks on a slight angle into 1/8-inch slices. Combine sliced celery, apple slices, dill, parsley, chopped celery leaves, and 1/2 cup sunflower seed and chile vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss until evenly coated. Season with salt to taste.
Divide salad among plates, and spoon additional vinaigrette over servings. Garnish with reserved celery leaves, dill, parsley, and sunflower seed kernels.

Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, November 2023