Thanks to our local farmers and producers, we've really grown a new love and appreciation for a very underrated root veg: the radish.
Over the course of a year, The Market sees several different radish varieties from your typical red radish, to daikon, watermelon radishes, black radishes, Asian green radishes and more.
Radishes are often relegated to the role of a garnish or to add a slice of color to store-bought salad mixes but these beauties deserve their own moment in the sun! Radishes are a delicious vegetable that can be eaten raw or added to any number of roasted or stir-fried dishes, where their signature peppery flavor can truly shine.
In this post, you'll find 3 different recipes to utilize these beautiful root veggies:
Click the links above to jump straight to the recipes or keep reading to learn more about the different radishes in our Cookstown Radish mix and different ideas for how to use them!
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Let's Dish About Radish
Our Organic Radish Mix comes from our friends at Cookstown Greens and includes three different radish varieties: Watermelon Radishes, Black Radishes and Green Radishes.
Watermelon Radish
Watermelon radishes, also known as Valentine's radishes, are a visually gorgeous heirloom variety of daikon radishes that originated in China. They have a pale green outer skin and vibrant pink flesh, resembling a watermelon — hence the name!
Unlike other radish varieties like, watermelon radishes have a mild flavor that is slightly sweet yet peppery, and their flavour mellows the longer it ripens.
Because of their mild flavour, these radishes are perfect to add raw to salads, sandwiches wraps, or avocado toast! You can also try pickling them or roasting them to really bring out the earthy and sweet flavours of this radish.
Black Radish
If you've tasted a black radish raw, you've likely experienced its very sharp, spicy flavour. For horseradish fans, you'll probably love the taste of raw black radish but it can be a little too overpowering for some to enjoy eating it raw.
If preparing raw, try thinly slicing, chopping, or shredding black radishes and combine them with tart and sweet ingredients to balance flavours. For example pair it with some sliced apples, carrots, lemon juice and mint to make a nice sweet and spicy slaw. The firm flesh of black radishes will give a slaw a nice crunch!
If you're not a fan of the intense flavour of raw black radishes, definitely give them a try cooked! The flavour profile of a black radish completely changes when you cook it. The crunchy flesh softens, and the flavor mellows significantly, developing a more subtly sweet peppery flavour.
Try cooking black radishes the same ways you'd prepare other root vegetables! For example, try them roasted or baked and mashed with butter.
Asian Green Radish
The long, green radishes you'll find in this organic radish mix are Asian green radishes. Bright green both inside and out, the skin of this radish variety is dark green towards the stalk and fades to white near the roots, like an ombre!
Flavour wise, these radishes are kind of a mash-up between a black and watermelon radish. They have a strong and spicy, similar to that of the black radish but there is also a pleasant sweetness underneath the heat.
Green radishes can be eaten in a variety of preparations from raw, to pickled, or cooked. Slice thinly to add a little heat to sandwiches or wraps. Add a crunch, spice and acidic factor to tacos by pickling them or mellow out the spice and bring out the sweet undertones of this radish by roasting it.
In this post, we've included 3 different radish recipes to try using our Cookstown Mixed Radishes!
Black Radish Chips
Ingredients (Serves 1-2)
- 4-8 Cookstown black radishes, thinly sliced (~1/8 inch thick) with a mandolin (or knife)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Method
This recipe could not be easier! Simply preheat your oven to 400°F.
Start by washing your black radishes to remove any soil or grit from the rough skin.
Using a mandolin or sharp chef's knife, cut the tops and bottoms off your black radishes and slice them into discs about 1/8 inch thick.
Place in a bowl and add your olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn radishes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil and space them out so that none of the radish slices overlap.
Bake for 10-20 minutes, or until radishes are slightly brown and crispy, flipping the chips over part way through cooking. Keep an eye on the radish chips as they can burn quickly if you're not paying close attention!
Serve with your favorite dip.
Roasted Radish Salad With Feta & Mint
Ingredients (Serves 2)
For The Salad
- 2 x bags Cookstown Greens Mixed Radishes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 60g Best Baa Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Mike & Mike's organic mint, chiffonade
- 2 x cups Cookstown Greens Hearty Mix Microgreens
For The Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Juice of 2 Mike & Mike's organic lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons Kozlik's Dijon by Anton mustard
- 1 tablespoon Rosewood Estates honey
- salt & pepper to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Wash your radishes to remove any grit and trim the tops and bottoms off. Cut your black and watermelon radishes in half and then in quarters. For your green radishes, cut them in half lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch thick pieces horizontally.
Place the radishes in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil, spaced out so that they don't overlap.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove them from the oven, flip over and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until they get caramelized on the other side. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Next, make your dressing. In a medium sized bowl, mix together your olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and whisk vigorously until combined. Set aside.
Add a handful of Cookstown Hearty Mix microgreens to each plate.
Remove your radishes from the pan and transfer into medium sized bowl. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of dressing and add the radishes to the top of the bed of Cookstown Microgreens.
Sprinkle each plate with Best Baa feta cheese and top with chiffonade fresh mint.
Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of dressing over each plate to finish. Serve immediately!
Quick Pickled Watermelon Radish
Ingredients
- 4 - 8 watermelon radishes, thinly sliced with a mandolin or knife
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1-2 dried bay leaves
Method
Wash your radishes and trim off the top and the bottom of each radish.
Carefully cut the radishes into thin discs with a mandolin or carefully with a chef's knife. You want them to be thin like potato chips and place in a heat proof bowl.
In a small sauce pan, heat your white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf just until the mixture comes to a boil and dissolve the salt and sugar.
Pour the hot mixture over the radishes in so that the mixture completely covers all the radishes. Top up the bowl with more water if needed to cover the rest of the radishes.
Let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavours to permeate the radishes. Serve on top of salads or bowls. Good up to a week in the fridge in an air tight container!
Did You Try These Recipes?
Did you try any of our radish recipes? Post a photo and tag us at @themarketat100kmfoods!
