Celery Salad with Ham, Cheese and Pineapple

A creamy celery salad with leek, sweetcorn and a touch of sweet pineapple

Introduction

Celery salad with ham, cheese and pineapple is a simple cold salad built around contrasting flavours and textures. Pickled celery brings a pleasant tang, leek adds freshness, ham and cheese provide a savoury base, while pineapple adds a subtle sweetness.

This recipe also has a family story behind it – it is a salad my sister has been making for years. And these are exactly the kind of recipes we love at Three Generations Culinary Cellar. They do not need to be modern or complicated. If a combination works and the family keeps coming back to it, it deserves its place at the table.

Mayonnaise brings everything together into a creamy salad that tastes best well chilled and after a little time in the refrigerator. Served with crispy toast or toasted bread, it makes an easy dinner, but it also works beautifully as a cold appetiser, party salad or part of a family buffet.

Why This Recipe Works

• pickled celery brings freshness, acidity and its distinctive flavour
• ham and hard cheese create a savoury base
• pineapple adds sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the celery and cheese
• sweetcorn provides extra sweetness and texture
• leek keeps the salad fresh with a mild onion flavour
• mayonnaise binds everything together without the need for a complicated dressing
• resting the salad in the refrigerator allows all the flavours to come together

The result is a creamy celery salad with ham and pineapple that combines savoury, sweet and slightly tangy flavours in every bite.

Ingredients

The Salad

• 2 jars pickled celery, well drained
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 can sweetcorn
• 1 small leek
• 200 g good-quality ham
• 200 g hard cheese, such as Gouda or Edam
• 200–250 g mayonnaise
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt, if needed

To Serve

• toasted sourdough, toast or other good bread
• spring onion, optional

Method

Prepare the Celery

• drain the pickled celery thoroughly in a sieve
• leave it for several minutes to remove as much liquid as possible
• if the celery strips are particularly long, cut them into shorter pieces

Draining the celery properly is important. Too much liquid will dilute the mayonnaise as the salad rests and make the finished salad watery rather than creamy.

Pineapple and Sweetcorn

• drain the pineapple thoroughly
• cut any particularly large chunks into smaller pieces
• drain the sweetcorn
• make sure all the ingredients contain as little excess liquid as possible

Ham, Cheese and Leek

• cut the ham into thin, short strips
• coarsely grate the cheese or cut it into fine strips
• wash the leek thoroughly and slice it into very thin rings or half-rings

There is no need to cook the leek. Its fresh, mild onion flavour provides a welcome contrast to the creamy mayonnaise.

Combine the Salad

• place the celery, pineapple, sweetcorn, leek, ham and cheese in a large bowl
• add approximately 200 g mayonnaise
• gently mix everything together
• add a little more mayonnaise if needed
• season with freshly ground black pepper
• taste before adding any salt

Add the mayonnaise gradually. Its purpose is to bring the ingredients together, not overwhelm them.

Let It Rest

• cover the finished salad and refrigerate
• leave it to rest for at least 1–2 hours
• stir gently and check the seasoning before serving

Resting allows the flavours of the celery, leek, ham, cheese and pineapple to mingle, making the salad noticeably better than immediately after mixing.

TGCC Tip

• drain both the celery and pineapple thoroughly – this is essential for a creamy rather than watery salad
• slice the leek very thinly so that its flavour does not dominate
• choose good-quality ham with a high meat content
• instead of grating the cheese, try cutting it into fine strips for more texture
• add the mayonnaise gradually and stop once all the ingredients are lightly and evenly coated
• season with salt only at the end, as the ham, cheese and pickled celery already contribute plenty of saltiness
• prepare the salad at least an hour before serving

A Lighter Version

For a lighter celery salad with less mayonnaise, replace part of the mayonnaise with thick Greek yoghurt.

A good starting ratio is approximately 2 parts mayonnaise to 1 part Greek yoghurt. The salad will remain creamy while tasting slightly fresher and lighter.

For the original family version, however, we would not add too many extra ingredients. The combination of celery, ham, cheese, leek, sweetcorn and pineapple works precisely because of its simplicity.

Serving

• serve the celery salad well chilled
• pair it with crispy toast or toasted sourdough bread
• add a little finely sliced spring onion if you like
• keep the ingredients naturally visible rather than over-styling the plate

One of the best combinations is cold, creamy celery salad with a slice of warm, crisp toast.

Serve it as an easy dinner, a cold appetiser or as part of a larger spread for family and friends.

Wine Pairing

• Riesling – refreshing acidity balances the mayonnaise and sweetness of the pineapple
• Welschriesling – light, crisp and easy to pair with the salad
• Grüner Veltliner – a dry and versatile match for the ham and cheese
• Sauvignon Blanc – a fresher option that works particularly well with celery and leek

For this salad, choose a dry, crisp white wine with good acidity rather than a heavily oaked or intensely aromatic style.

Recipe Details

Type: cold salad
Cuisine: Slovak / family cooking
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: at least 1–2 hours
Total time: approximately 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Main ingredient: pickled celery
Character: creamy / sweet and savoury / retro comfort food