Celery seed is the small dried fruit of the celery plant, with a concentrated, grassy, slightly bitter taste of celery. It seasons pickles, coleslaw, dressings and celery salt, and is a regulated allergen.
What it is¶
Celery seed comes from the same species as the celery in your salad drawer, Apium graveolens, but seed for the spice trade is usually harvested from plants grown for the purpose, often closer to the thin-stalked wild celery (smallage) than to fat modern stalks. Like other members of the carrot family, what is sold as a "seed" is in fact a whole dried fruit, split into two tiny ribbed halves each well under 2 mm long.
They are among the smallest seeds in the spice cupboard — a teaspoon holds thousands — and among the most potent for their size. India, particularly Punjab and neighbouring states, grows most of the world's supply.
Origins and history¶
Wild celery grew in the damp coastal marshes of the Mediterranean and was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as a medicinal and funerary herb as much as a food; wreaths of celery-like selinon were given to victors at the Nemean games. Cultivated celery with thick, mild stalks was developed much later, largely in Italy and France from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The seed has long been used in pickling and in European folk medicine, but its modern culinary stronghold is North America. Celery salt became a standard seasoning in the 19th century and appears in the Chicago-style hot dog, the Bloody Mary, and many commercial seafood seasonings.
Flavour and aroma¶
Celery seed tastes like celery turned up and dried out: grassy and savoury, slightly warm, with a distinct bitterness and a faint lemony note. The characteristic "celery" smell comes mostly from phthalides, compounds that also enhance the sense of savouriness in a dish without tasting strongly themselves — one reason a pinch of celery salt makes a stock or tomato juice taste fuller.
Use it sparingly. More than about 1 tsp in a dish for four and the bitterness takes over.
In the kitchen¶
- Pickles and brines: ½–1 tsp per jar of bread-and-butter pickles, piccalilli or pickled onions, often with mustard seed and turmeric. It is common in pickling-spice.
- Coleslaw and potato salad: ½ tsp in a creamy dressing is the classic American touch.
- Celery salt: grind 1 tbsp celery seed with 2–3 tbsp flaky salt. Use it on eggs, in a Bloody Mary, on the rim of the glass, or on chips.
- Tomatoes: tomato soup, juice and ketchup-style sauces.
- Breads and crackers: a sprinkle on soda bread or cheese biscuits.
- Stocks and soups when you have no fresh celery.
- Rubs for fish and chicken, and seafood boils.
💡 Toast or crush
Lightly crushing the seeds in a pestle-and-mortar releases far more flavour than leaving them whole. A brief dry toast (30 seconds in a hot pan) takes the edge off the bitterness for dressings; see toasting-spices.
In cooked dishes add it with the other aromatics; in dressings let it sit for half an hour so the flavour seeps out.
Buying and storing¶
Whole seed keeps well for two to three years in an airtight jar away from light. Ground celery seed and celery salt fade within months; celery salt also absorbs moisture and cakes. Never cook with seed from a gardening packet: seed sold for sowing may be treated with fungicide.
Substitutes¶
Celery salt is the easy swap, but it is mostly salt, so use about three times the quantity and cut other salt. Dill seed gives a similar herbal, slightly bitter note in pickles. lovage leaf or seed tastes strongly of celery. In soups and stocks, finely chopped celery leaves or celeriac do the job.
Pairs well with¶
Tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, eggs, cucumber, fish and shellfish, chicken, cheese, mustard seed, dill seed, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, garlic and vinegar.
Health and safety¶
Celery — including the stalks, leaves, root (celeriac) and seed — is one of the 14 major allergens that must be declared on food labels in the UK and EU. Celery allergy is especially common in central Europe, where it is often linked to birch and mugwort pollen allergy, and reactions can be severe, including anaphylaxis. Celery seed and celery salt are frequent hidden ingredients in spice blends, stock cubes and seasonings, so anyone with the allergy should check labels carefully. See spice-allergies.
Concentrated celery seed extracts are sold as supplements; these are traditionally avoided in pregnancy and are not the same as culinary use.