Recipes › Celeriac › Celeriac Schnitzel with Caper and Anchovy Butter
Celeriac Schnitzel with Caper and Anchovy Butter
Thick slabs of celeriac, boiled until just tender then crumbed and fried golden, are one of the most satisfying things you can put on a plate in winter. The flesh stays creamy inside while the coating shatters, and a sharp, salty caper and anchovy butter melting over the top is the finishing touch that makes this feel like a proper restaurant main course. It is more involved than a weeknight dinner but very achievable at the weekend.
Celeriac is usually ready October to December. More celeriac recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.
Ingredients
- 1200 g Celeriac, peeled, sliced into 2cm-thick rounds
- 80 g Plain flour
- 3 Eggs, beaten
- 150 g Fine dried breadcrumbsPanko crumbs work and give an even crunchier finish
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 100 ml Vegetable oil, for frying
- 80 g Unsalted butter, softened
- 6 Anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely choppedOmit for a vegetarian version and add an extra pinch of salt
- 30 g Capers, drained and roughly chopped
- 20 g Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tsp Salt
Contains: celery, cereals gluten, eggs, fish, milk, mustard.
Method
- Make the caper and anchovy butter first. Beat together the softened butter, chopped anchovies, capers, parsley, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice until well combined. Roll into a log shape in cling film and refrigerate until needed.About 8 min
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the celeriac slices and cook for 12–15 minutes until just tender when pierced with a knife — they should give easily but still hold their shape. Drain carefully and pat very thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. This is important: wet celeriac will not crumb properly.About 18 min
- Set up three shallow bowls in a line: one with the plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper, one with the beaten eggs mixed with the Dijon mustard, and one with the breadcrumbs.About 3 min
- Coat each celeriac slice first in flour (shake off the excess), then dip into the egg-mustard mixture, then press firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat all surfaces evenly. Set aside on a plate.About 8 min
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, fry the schnitzels for 3–4 minutes on each side until deeply golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking tray and keep warm in a low oven at 100°C fan while you cook the remaining batches.About 12 min
- Serve immediately with a slice of the cold caper and anchovy butter placed on top of each schnitzel so it begins to melt, and lemon wedges alongside.
Tips
- Drying the cooked celeriac really well is not optional — any surface moisture will make the flour clump and the egg slide off, giving you a patchy coating that falls apart in the pan.
- Use a thermometer if you have one: oil around 170–175°C gives a golden crust without burning the crumbs before the inside is hot through. Too hot and the outside burns; too cool and the schnitzel absorbs oil.
- You can make the caper butter a week ahead and keep it in the fridge, or freeze it for up to a month. It is also fantastic on grilled fish or stirred through pasta.
Ring the changes
- For a vegetarian version, simply leave out the anchovies and increase the capers to 50g. Add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce to the butter (check it is vegetarian) for umami depth.
- Swap the breadcrumb coating for finely crushed cornflakes for an extra-crunchy, naturally gluten-free version — though you will need to swap the plain flour for a gluten-free alternative too.
Keeping it
The schnitzels are best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in an oven at 190°C fan for 10 minutes to re-crisp — do not microwave or the coating will go soggy. The compound butter keeps refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.
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