Radishes…More Than Just A Garnish (Spicy, Delicious, Affordable & Nutritious)

A couple of years ago I really made an effort to incorporate and add more veggies to our diet, without eating the same old “usual” vegetables I was familiar with. (Which we did and continue to do so.) But most of the time the more unusual or uncommon the veg is, the more expensive it can be. So I researched different ways to cook the ones most often found at the grocery stores that didn’t run up the weekly grocery bill as much. And one of my favorite finds was different ways to prepare and eat the simple radish.

The radish is nothing new to me, in fact we buy them at least 2 or 3 times a month to add to salads or eat raw with a pinch of salt. Then I started adding them to slaw dishes, Thai recipes, Vietnamese recipes like pho, and topping scrambled eggs, avocado toast, burgers, hot dogs, and tacos with sliced raw radishes. An added crunch I like with a bit of spice. And then I roasted them with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Delicious! And again, affordable. 

Radishes are also low in calories, high in fiber, and full of nutrients. An added bonus is that you can eat the radish greens too so you’re not wasting any food and saving money. I like to clean the greens, chop, and then saute with some butter or olive oil along with fresh chopped garlic and salt and pepper for a couple of minutes until wilted. Really yummy, kind of like sautéed chard.

Typically the most common radish you’ll find at the grocery store is the little, round red variety called Cherry Belle. 

Recently my husband and I visited the Boulder Farmers Market and there were so many varieties of radishes I had never heard of, much less seen before. After sampling several different ones we chose the “regular” red ones, along with a Black Spanish variety and a Watermelon variety. 

The watermelon radish is round, attached to thin stems with waxy green leaves. Their exteriors are creamy white with tinges of green. Once you slice the radish, you’ll see the bright, circular striations of pink and magenta, which is why it’s called a watermelon radish. The flesh is tender crisp and firm with a mild, slightly peppery flavor with a hint of sweet. Their size can range anywhere from a golf ball to a soft ball and they are delicious served fresh, cooked, hot, or cold. (We have been enjoying them as a little snack as we grill, eating them raw and simply sliced with a drizzle of virgin olive oil and a pinch of Kosher or sea salt.)

Another radish we bought was the black Spanish radish, which has a coarse, deep charcoal-colored skin and creamy white flesh. I peeled this radish but left a bit of the black skin on because I thought it looked pretty with a few stripes. This was definitely spicier than the others and the first bite had quite a kick. In fact, it had a bit too much kick for me. That first slice I tried though was pretty thick so I simply sliced them as thin as I could and they were much better that way for both my husband and me. I haven’t tried pickling them yet but I did read they are excellent served that way. (We ate them raw and I also sautéed them with some garlic and butter and served them over fish.) You can also roast them or simply slice, shred, or dice and add to salads or slaws. Salting them will take a bit of the heat out.

Nothing fancy but radishes can be a fun way to add a bit of spice to any meal. From breakfast to dinner, raw or cooked, they are affordable, easy to find, and nutritious.

Here is my recipe for roasted radishes.

https://www.719woman.com/2016/02/23/roasted-radishes-seriously-delicious-and-easy-who-knew/

And here’s a great article with more ways to serve radishes.

www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a19784367/what-are-radishes-good-for/