Sicilian Celery Salad with Lemon Dressing

Yes, it’s the new year and I’m ready to start eating healthier like most other Americans. This Sicilian Celery Salad with Lemon Dressing is fresh, tangy, savory and crunchy. If that sounds like a salad you’d like, stay with me.

I Love a Lettuce-less Salad

This celery salad has no lettuce or leafy greens, except the chopped Italian parsley, which I don’t really consider a leafy green anyway. I started making salads minus the lettuce a few years ago when I realized my favorite part of salads was at the bottom where all the goodies like olives, seeds, beans, etc. end up. So most times I either forget the lettuce altogether or I throw in some arugula or endive for good measure or good whatever.

My Family’s Sicilian Salads

It was my Sicilian aunties who made salad for me since I was a kid. I remember my Auntie Vicky tossing salad in her oversized, glass bowl with a large wooden spoon a fork. It typically was made up of lettuce, tomato, celery, cucumber and red onion. And the dressing was – of course – olive oil, vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper – that’s it!

Nothing earth-shattering, right? But there was something about the simplicity, and the way nothing weighed anything down. Always fresh and crisp!

It was also the way it was lovingly tossed, and just perfectly fresh. And how this light and tangy salad was the perfect side to a heavier pasta dish. It could even have been the way the dressing tasted after dipping the garlic bread in the dressing that rested at the bottom of the bowl.

Whatever it is, I still enjoy every salad this way. And now my kids are starting to ditch the traditional salads with Ranch-type dressings and everything-but-the-kitchen sink for something a little more Sicilian. Yes, I am biased. 🙂

Suggested Celery Salad Additions

This Sicilian Celery Salad with Lemon Dressing is one of the simplest versions of this salad. But depending on what I (or you) are in the mood for, this salad can be even more amazing with the following ingredients.

• grilled salmon
• tuna
• avocado
• pancetta
• sliced almonds
• arugula
• chicken
• sliced fennel
• pumpkin seeds

And while you can go crazy with all the great ingredients, I still think simplicity is almost always the most delicious choice.

Enjoy!