Radishes, those vibrant and crunchy root vegetables, are a delightful addition to any culinary journey. With their signature peppery flavor and crisp texture, radishes bring a refreshing zing to salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Available in various shapes, sizes, and colors, from classic round red radishes to elongated daikon radishes, these versatile veggies offer a range of flavors to explore. Whether enjoyed raw as a crunchy snack or cooked to mellow their spiciness, radishes add a burst of flavor and visual appeal to your plate.
Radishes offer a range of health benefits that make them a fantastic addition to your diet. Like most root veggies, radishes absorb nutrients from the soil, fortifying the vegetables as some of the heartiest, healthiest foods one can find. They are a good source of vitamin C, rich in fiber, and naturally antifungal.
slice radishes thinly and add to your sandwiches
use the radish tops to make a tasty pesto
dry them in the oven to make radish chips here's a great recipe to try!
pickle them and use that in even more unique ways - here's a pickling recipe for onions, but you can substitute sliced radish!
Cooking With Radish
Did you know? The entire radish can be eaten, from its leafy greens to the roots commonly recognized as the radish. Try adding the radish tops to salads, sandwiches, and whatever else you make.
The greens can taste similar to other leafy greens, ranging from peppery like arugula to mild like spinach, depending on the variety, so you'll want to sample them before adding them to your dishes. When they are fresh and tender, radish greens can be prepared and cooked like spinach.
A radish can be eaten cooked or raw, depending on the intensity of flavour you want to add to your meal. When cooked, the spice in the radish mellows out and some sweetness is brought out. Roasting them can have the same effect. So if you like a mild radish flavour, try making some chips out of them. A cooked radish is best when it is crisp-tender to fully tender but not mushy.
A general tip is to prepare and cut radishes right before using them because they begin to lose their potency once cut.
Storing Radish
The traditional way to store radishes is in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. Some more creative ways to store radishes long-term are listed below.
Jar with water: Treat your radishes like flowers! Trim the radish greens to about an inch from the radish itself. Fill a glass jar or vase with water and place the radishes in it, roots down. Cover the radish greens with a plastic bag to retain moisture. This method keeps the radishes hydrated and adds a unique visual element to your kitchen.
Radish pickles: Transform your radishes into tangy pickles for a longer shelf life. Slice the radishes and prepare a pickling solution using vinegar, water, sugar, and spices. Place the sliced radishes in sterilized jars and pour the hot pickling solution over them. Seal the jars tightly and store them in the refrigerator. Enjoy the pickled radishes as a crunchy snack or a flavourful addition to sandwiches and salads. Try this pickled onion recipe, but substitute the onion for radish!
Radish green pesto: Don't discard the radish greens! Instead, use them to make a flavourful pesto. Blend radish greens with garlic, nuts (such as pine nuts or walnuts), Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Store the pesto in a jar, ensuring the surface is covered with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation. This versatile condiment can be used as a spread, pasta sauce, or dressing, adding a unique radish twist to your dishes.
