Celery and Olive Antipasto with Ricotta Salata

This crunchy and bright celery salad draws inspiration from a relish tray, a retro cocktail-hour snack tray filled with sliced vegetables, pickles, and olives. Developed by Marcia Keisel, who worked in F&W’s test kitchen for over 26 years, this celery-and-olive salad has simple make-ahead tricks that make it the perfect side dish or starter for easy entertaining.

Keisel calls for peeling the celery, and the small effort is worth it when you bite into crunchy, string-free celery. Then, slice it, and plunge it into ice water to crisp up before it’s tossed in a zippy lemon dressing. The dressing is flavored with both lemon zest and lemon juice, as well as umami-rich anchovies that melt into the mixture. Keisel adds meaty Castelvetrano olives and salty ricotta salata cheese to add depth and complexity to this crunchy and punchy salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Castelvetrano olives?

Named after Castelvetrano, a town in northwest Sicily, these Italian olives have a meaty flesh and buttery texture. The olives have a light green hue and a mild, not-too-salty flavor profile. Larger than other olives like kalamata or black olives, Castelvetranos have a pit that is just smaller than the size of an almond and can easily be removed from the pit when smashed gently with the flat side of a knife. The olive will pull away from the pit and can be tossed into salads like this one, sautéed with pasta, or blended into a tapenade.

What is ricotta salata cheese?

Ricotta salata is a salty, briny cheese made by pressing the liquid out of ricotta cheese curds and letting it age slightly. Unlike the kind of creamy ricotta you’d use in a lasagna, this cheese is crumbly and has a texture more similar to something like feta or queso fresco.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To peel the celery, hold the stalk from the wider end, and rotate it on its side. Run a Y-shaped peeler down the length to remove the outer layer. Rotate the stalk slightly, and repeat until the stalk is fully peeled.