How To: Take the Bite Out of Radishes
Written by Rachel, Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, How To, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Radishes they have a bit of a bite.
They’re peppery.
I get it.
They can be great raw, when mixed with the right flavors (ahem, two recent posts: Radish and Feta Toasts, and Radish Slaw).
They’re super in soups (yep, did that on purpose), tasty in frittatas, impossibly good (and impossible to detect) in Shepherd’s Pie.
Buuuut, let’s try one more way. Let’s roast them.
Let’s tame the heck out of them.
Oh, and this is gonna be really simple.
You ready?!
When I was working on this recipe I tried a few different things. I was going to make a sauce for the radishes, or maybe add a little more to them when roasting. But I realized that they didn’t need it.
They have a fun and interesting flavor. Why mask it?
I thought they’d be good quartered. They could be halved, or left whole. Just adjust the roasting time.
Then they’re tossed with just a few things: thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
On to a baking sheet and they’re ready for the oven.
I told you it was going to be easy.
Just like their flavor, the colors become muted.
The remind me a bit of Easter eggs.
They’re served with a squeeze of lemon.
Simple as that. They’ve been tamed.
In my experience, cooking is generally a good way to tame a bold food. Whether it’s braised, roasted, sautéed, grilled… the heat usually mellows things out. However, if you’d like to try keeping things raw, mixing with complimentary flavors will also do the trick.
For radishes, think things like:
Lemon + dill + crab + cucumber + cream cheese.
Lemon juice + olive oil + parsley + onions.
Shrimp + soy sauce + scallions.
I like to chop or grate loud veggies when they’re going to be eaten raw (hello garlic, red onion, and radish!). It lets them continue to sing, just a little bit quieter, in harmony with the other ingredients.
There’s no need shy away from radishes any more. Whether they’re raw or cooked, I’ve got you covered.
Happy Eating!
- 1 bunch (about 8) radishes, tips and tails removed, quartered
- 1 t olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1/4 t dried thyme, crushed
- lemon wedges, for serving
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
- Toss radishes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Flip and roast for 5 minutes more.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon.