This is an original dish I created because I had some leftover trimmings from the salmon that I smoked. The sauce was inspired by Sandra’s recipe for speedy smoked salmon mousse. The earthy flavor of the celeriac works well with the smokiness of the salmon. Making celeriac gnocchi is very easy when you use Marina‘s trick with the wire. I cooked the celeriac sous-vide, but you could also steam or even boil it instead. Celery salt is made by grinding celery seeds together with salt; I used it to enhance the celery flavor of the gnocchi but if you can’t find it you could use regular salt instead. Here’s what I did…

Ingredients

For 2 servings

500 grams (1.1 lb) cleaned celeriac

100 grams (2/3 cup) flour

200 grams (7 oz) smoked salmon trimmings, chopped

1 celery stalk, minced

1/2 onion, minced

2 Tbsp butter

80 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine

80 ml (1/3 cup) cream

celery salt or regular salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

1/2 Tbsp minced fresh dill

Preparation

Peel the celeriac and cut it into chunks. If you have leftover celeriac, you can use it to make a salad or puree.

Cook 500 grams (1.1 lb) of celeriac until it is tender. I vacuum sealed it…

…and cooked it sous-vide for 90 minutes at 85C/185F. You could steam or boil it instead.

Put the cooked celeriac in a food processor and process until pureed.

Add 1/4 tsp of celery salt (or regular salt)…

…and 100 grams (2/3 cup) of flour.

Pulse as many times as needed to incorporate the flour into the mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Add a minced celery stalk and a minced half onion, and stir over medium heat until softened and golden.

Add with 80 ml (1/3 cup) of dry white wine.

Stir until about half of the wine has evaporated.

Reduce the heat to low and add 80 ml (1/3 cup) cream…

…and most of the 200 grams (7 oz) of salmon, reserving a handful of nice pieces for garnish.

Stir and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Blend with an immersion blender…

…until smooth. Taste and adjust the season with salt — you probably won’t need any salt as smoked salmon is often already quite salty.

Brighten up the flavor with a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You shouldn’t really taste the lemon, it should only enhance the flavor.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Tie a string across the top and make sure it is tight. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to a gentle boil.

Squeeze gnocchi out of the piping bag and cut them with the wire, so that they fall into the boiling water.

Wait until they float…

…then lift them out of the pan with a strainer and add to the salmon sauce.

Repeat adding gnocchi to the boiling water and transferring them as soon as they float until you have used up all of the dough.

Gently toss the gnocchi with the sauce.

Serve at once on preheated plates, garnished with the reserved pieces of smoked salmon and dill.

Wine pairing

This works well with many dry whites, especially if they are bit creamy and a bit smoky like a nice pinot grigio.

Flashback

This swordfish, fennel, and orange salad is really a summer dish, but I made it in winter just to brighten up my day a little!