Radish

The key to this showstopping salad? Ice cold water. Seriously! It helps cucumber, radishes, and scallions deliver incredible crunch and highlight their flavors.

As long as you don’t mess with the ratio of vinegar, sugar, and salt, you can experiment with other spices, like fennel and coriander seeds, in this brine.

If it looks good at the market, it will be good in this salad.

Two for one: Spooning spiced butter over steak flavors the meat while building a nuanced sauce.

If you can’t find Little Gem, use any other small crunchy green, such as romaine hearts.

You can make the dough, you can buy the dough, or you can simply assemble these same toppings on slices of toasted country-style bread.

There’s no creamy dip to hide behind here: Use the nicest spring vegetables and olive oil you can find.

This fresh take on tabbouleh eliminates the bulgur entirely and uses the golden seeds of millet instead, which give a nutty, cornlike taste to the salad. (Here's how to master millet). But it's really all about the green herbs: Feel free to add too many!

Buy good grains and always soak them. They'll cook more quickly and evenly when hydrated, and the soaking liquid can be used in finished dishes.

Dunk cucumbers in this radish yogurt for a satisfying snack or starter. Or spoon some on a plate, throw a fried egg on top, and call it breakfast.

A robust green demands an aggressive dressing. Use any other kind of radicchio in place of or in tandem with the treviso.

If you have a mandoline, use it to slice the radishes and shallot. If not, use a sharp knife.

You can prep your vegetables ahead of time (store them in a zip-top bag in the crisper drawer), but wait to assemble these at the last minute.

Make sure the butcher cuts the marrow bone in half for you.

Use just one type of bean to ensure even cooking.

Rye berries have a rich nutty flavor, but you can use any firm whole grain instead (farro, wheat berries, and spelt are all good choices).

The sauce makes the meal—serve it alongside any combo of crunchy peak-season veg you please.

Radishes are good, but are they the best vegetable ever? One editor says yes—and wants to prove it to you.

If you're camping, make the rice before you leave and pack the vinaigrette in a little jar on the side. You’ll thank us, Scout’s honor.

Pickling the onion in lemon juice gives it a fresh, less acidic finish. If you like, soak the carrot ribbons in ice water for 10 minutes to make them curl.

Inspired by chile salt–sprinkled mangos, this salad is so deftly seasoned, you won’t even notice there’s not a drop of oil in the whole dish.

Because it’s so delicate, the flesh can break down when marinated first, sometimes causing the fish to fall apart. A post-grill bath delivers flavor without compromising texture.