Celery Seed: A Small Spice With a Big Savoury Punch

Celery seed is the tiny, brown seed of a wild relative of the celery you eat as a vegetable. Often it comes from smallage, or wild celery, rather than the cultivated stalks. The seeds are about the size of a poppy seed, and their flavour is concentrated and slightly bitter.

What it tastes like

Celery seed tastes like intense celery with a warm, earthy, grassy edge and a clear bitter finish. It is powerful, so recipes call for half a teaspoon or so. Used in the right amount, it adds a savoury background that makes a dish taste more complete.

Classic uses

Celery seed is a staple in American cooking: potato salad, coleslaw, tuna salad, deviled eggs, pickling brine, barbecue rubs and tomato juice cocktails. It also appears in Old Bay seasoning, Cajun and Creole blends, and many sausage and meat seasonings. It brings the same background flavour as fresh celery in soup bases and stews without needing the stalk.

Celery salt

Celery salt is a blend of ground celery seed and salt, often with a little extra seasoning. It is used on the rim of a bloody mary, on hot dogs in Chicago, and in rubs. Because it contains a lot of salt, remember to reduce the salt elsewhere in the recipe.

How to use it

Add celery seed to dressings and sauces early, so the flavour mellows. In pickles and brines, add a teaspoon per jar. Toast whole seeds gently in a dry pan before cooking to soften the bitterness. For rubs, grind them with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. A pinch in homemade vegetable stock or a soup gives it a deep savoury base.

Stir half a teaspoon into mayonnaise for potato salad, sprinkle into a cabbage slaw with apple cider vinegar, or add to a tomato soup. It also works in cheese straws, savoury scones and breads. Pair celery seed with mustard, dill, vinegar, tomatoes, eggs, potatoes and white fish.

In tiny amounts, celery seed contributes minerals such as calcium and iron and some fibre, but nothing significant. Its value is flavour. Some people use celery seed extract as a supplement, and that is a different thing from the culinary spice and should be discussed with a doctor.

Culinary versus sprouting seed

Make sure you buy celery seed meant for cooking and not seed packets for the garden, which may be treated with chemicals. Use only seeds labelled as food grade.

Storage and cautions

Keep the seeds in a sealed jar away from heat and light, where they keep their flavour for a year or two. Ground celery seed fades quickly, so grind small amounts. Celery is one of the most important food allergens in Europe, where it must be declared on labels, and the seeds can trigger reactions in allergic people, sometimes severe. Anyone with a celery or related allergy, including to mugwort or birch pollen, should avoid celery seed and celery salt. Pregnant women are usually advised to avoid medicinal-strength amounts of celery seed.

This article is general information, not medical advice.