Celeb Chef Emeril Lagasse is one of the original cooking-show hosts at The Food Network. He’s from New England, but has lovingly espoused the Cuisine of New Orleans. And there’s one simple flavour-ing Emeril ‘can’t live without’….
A secret, until now
Well… Not really. He’s mentioned it many times on his many shows, and has never even thought of putting it in a vault, like the Disney films, or the formula for Coca Cola.
So, what is it?
Nothing more – or less – than celery salt. Sounds rather simple. Even ordinary. But Lagasse insists it can add a flavour punch to almost any savoury dish.
A contrast
If nothing else, it’s certainly a contrast to Emeril’s other foundational flavouring blend – Cajun Spice. It’s not quite as as complex as Col. Sanders’ legendary 11 different herbs and spices, but it is… a real mouthful:
- Paprika
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
If you look at Legasse’s flavour spectrum, his Cajun flavouring is all the way out on the left – and celery salt is a fair stretch past centre, on the right.
Has his reasons
But the chef has his reasons for lauding celery salt. He refers to it his ‘secret weapon’, and insists, “you can use it in almost everything.” During a 2015 interview with National Restaurant News, Legasse included celery salt in a list of 5 kitchen staples he, “couldn’t live without.”
“People don’t usually guess that it’s in there, but I can tell you that it adds oomph to many dishes,” Legasse told The Nibble.
Not familiar with celery salt?
Many folks will know celery salt only as a component of the ‘rub’ the mixologist uses to rim their Caesar glass. But it’s really a complex, perky, umami experience that would go really well with any-thing that gets a squeeze of lemon juice… A recent Food & Wine story described it as, “a little bitter, earthy, fresh, grassy, and, of course, salty.”
Emeril suggests first-timers start with some store-bought celery salt and try it on everything savoury. My own experience, getting acquainted with the stuff, was to use it instead of regular salt on every-thing I could think of, for the first little while. That journey was a real eye-opener!
My take
My own impression, tempered with time and experience with celery salt leads to to endorse Emeril’s hearty recommendation of celery salt. I might even go as far as to say, some folks will add it Salt and pepper a a third member of their classic ‘seasoning’ trilogy…
Wait… Emeril’s Cajun blend doesn’t include Celery Salt? Wow! If I ever get to interview him, I’ve got a killer question to kick off the conversation!