Text by Amy Albert
Photography by Kenji Toma
Crunchy, peppery, and perfect with nothing more than a dab of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt, radishes need little tinkering to taste great. Salads, sandwiches, and crudités are wonderful ways to showcase their sassy flavor; use the greens, too, rinsed well. Red radishes are what you'll likely see at the supermarket, but that's just a start. At the farmers' market, look for Easter Egg radishes, which can be oval or round and come in multicolored bunches of white, purple, pink, and red. Small oval French Breakfast radishes are red with white tips; Icicle radishes are elongated and white. Watermelon radishes (above) can be golf-ball- or baseball-sized; white on the outside and pink within, they taste almost turnip- like. Radishes, cousin to arugula and cabbage, have a zing that's mellowed by cooking, coaxing out an earthy sweetness and a delicious reminder: Spring is on the way.
Radishes are a very good source of vitamin C and also contain significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, folate, and potassium. Practitioners of natural medicine prize radishes for their ability to stimulate digestion, cleanse the system, and alleviate congestion and a sore throat.
Spring and fall are the best times to buy radishes—hot weather turns their flavor strong and their texture spongy. Choose firm, smooth radishes that feel heavy and have fresh green tops. At home, trim the tops to half an inch, and refrigerate the radishes unwashed in plastic. They'll keep for at least a week.
Crudité Plate: Include radishes on a platter with sliced fennel, celery, bell peppers, and sugar snap peas; serve with green goddess dressing.
Salade Niçoise: Add radishes to a salad of tuna, olives, steamed potatoes, blanched green beans, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, anchovy, and lettuce.
Stir-Fry: Mix sliced radishes into a stir-fry of pork tenderloin, lime juice, chipotles in adobo, and green onions.