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Justine Doiron

just real good food

Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads + Soups, Special Diets, Vegetarian · May 25, 2023

Lemon Poppy Salad with Stracciatella

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Don’t fear, the stracciatella in this salad means stracciatella cheese (not gelato, although that sounds delicious in any non-salad capacity), but the cheese version makes an amazing lemon poppyseed salad, if I do say so myself. The cheese makes everything a touch creamy, while the poppy seeds and lemon juice add a nice nuttiness, brightness and crunch.

I am usually not the hugest fan of celery, but when you slice it very thin and combine it with herbs, leafy greens, olive oil and few of my favorite acidic counterparts, it makes a really easy, simple and filling salad. Like, this is the kind of salad I’d get at a restaurant and rave about, despite not even knowing how little goes into it. The cheese is just a bonus here, and can be easily swapped for burrata, mozzarella, ricotta, really any mild cheese that you love. Or even a not-so-mild cheese – let’s play with fire 😉

Table of contents

  • Ingredients you’ll need for this lemon poppy salad
  • How to prepare this simple stracciatella salad
  • What can I substitute for poppy seeds?
  • Looking for other easy and bright salad recipes?

Ingredients you’ll need for this lemon poppy salad

  • 4-5 large stalks of celery
  • 1 cup leafy greens of choice optional, I like arugula, red leaf lettuce, or spring mix
  • 1 large green radish substitutes include red radishes, Japanese turnips, cucumber
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 large lemon for zest and juice
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 4 ounces stracciatella cheese substitutes include mozzarella, burrata, or ricotta

How to prepare this simple stracciatella salad

  • Thinly slice the celery at a sharp diagonal. Tear up the leafy greens, thinly slice the radish, chiffonade cut the basil and mint.
  • In a large bowl, grate in the garlic cloves, then grate in the zest from half the lemon, about a teaspoon. Add the juice from the lemon, the olive oil, the vinegar and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine then add in all the vegetables. Toss to coat, season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar, salt and pepper as you see fit.
  • In a small pan over medium heat, toast the poppy seeds for 4-5 minutes, or until they are noticeably nutty and fragrant. Add these into the salad and toss.
  • To serve, tear the stracciatella on top of the salad, creating long creamy lines of cheese. Top with more lemon zest, black pepper and olive oil. Serve with crusty bread!

What can I substitute for poppy seeds?

While I really love the poppy seeds in this, and I think they add something unique and special to this recipe, they can be easily subbed for something like mustard seeds (keep them uncrushed, or else it will be too pungent), crushed pistachios (roasted and salted, of course), or pine nuts. Those are my top 3 favorite subs, and most of them should be pretty easy to find!

Looking for other easy and bright salad recipes?

Twirly Carrot Salad with Crispy Chickpeas & Rice
This lemony, mustardy salad is one of my favorite spring dinners to use to transition into warmer weather and lighter meals. It has all the makings of a full meal, with chickpeas for protein and rice for carbs, and the salad comes together in one bowl. It's quick, easy and nourishing, and exactly what I want to make as we emerge from the cold winter into sunnier days.
Check out this recipe
Fennel Salad with Tempeh & Walnut Dressing
This fennel salad is light but creamy, thinly sliced, filled with flavor and the only way I like to eat raw vegetables in the winter. Serve with thick slices of crusty bread and crispy tempeh on top, and your salad world will be changed
Check out this recipe
Baked Cauliflower Salad with Feta and Dates
This cauliflower salad is a combination of warm and roasty, as well as crisp and fresh. It's the perfect marriage of salty, sweet, herbaceous and just plain good. It uses a whole cauliflower head to start, then adds on fresh peas, radishes, dates, basil and mint, as well as some salty feta. The combination is truly out-of-this world and absolutely worth the effort. It just might be your new favorite salad.
Check out this recipe

And that’s it for this lemon poppy salad!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.

Lemon Poppy Salad with Stracciatella Cheese

This salad is crispy, light, easy to make and just special enough due to the touches of nutty poppyseeds and creamy stracciatella. The cheese is totally up to you though, this recipe is just as good with another mild cheese like ricotta or buffalo mozzarella.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:15 minutes mins
Cook Time:8 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American, Fusion, Italian
Keyword: celery, lemon, salad, stracciatella cheese
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

  • 1 chef's knife
  • 1 small stainless steel pan

Ingredients

  • 4-5 large stalks of celery
  • 1 cup leafy greens of choice optional, I like arugula, red leaf lettuce, or spring mix
  • 1 large green radish substitutes include red radishes, Japanese turnips, cucumber
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 large lemon for zest and juice
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 4 ounces stracciatella cheese substitutes include mozzarella, burrata, or ricotta

Instructions

  • Thinly slice the celery at a sharp diagonal. Tear up the leafy greens, thinly slice the radish, chiffonade cut the basil and mint.
  • In a large bowl, grate in the garlic cloves, then grate in the zest from half the lemon, about a teaspoon. Add the juice from the lemon, the olive oil, the vinegar and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine then add in all the vegetables. Toss to coat, season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar, salt and pepper as you see fit.
  • In a small pan over medium heat, toast the poppy seeds for 4-5 minutes, or until they are noticeably nutty and fragrant. Add these into the salad and toss.
  • To serve, tear the stracciatella on top of the salad, creating long creamy lines of cheese. Top with more lemon zest, black pepper and olive oil. Serve with crusty bread!

Posted In: Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads + Soups, Special Diets, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. August says

    May 30, 2023 at 12:32 am

    slay (as usual). I added a soft boiled egg for protein but otherwise followed the recipe as written

    • Justine says

      May 31, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      Ugh this makes me so happy – I’m a huge celery girl but was worried others wouldn’t love it as much as I do!

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Hey! I'm Justine. A recipe developer, highly dedicated eater, and bread enthusiast with an archive of both savory and sweet. This is where I store all my recipes, feel free to take a look around!
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