Fun fact: Radishes aren’t actually spicy! Well, at least not in the way that most people consider chili peppers and hot sauce spicy. Those foods contain capsaicin, the molecule that gives the feeling of heat, while radishes do not. Radishes have an enzyme and compound that, when broken down by chewing, form another compound that is also present in mustard, horseradish, and wasabi. It gives radishes that sharp, peppery taste, as opposed to the red-in-the-face five-alarm feeling in chili peppers.
Regardless, radishes have a uniquely peppery flavor to raw and cooked recipes alike. There’s so much more you can do with radishes than just adding them to salads or dipping them in whipped, salted butter. Try one of our 9 favorite recipes and let us know in the comments how you like to eat your radishes!
Garlic-Roasted Radishes
Like other root veggies, roasting your radishes is a straight-forward and tasty option. This roasted dish from The Real Food Dietitians adds a key ingredient to take it to the next level: lots and lots of fresh garlic.
Cinnamon Sugar Radish Chips
Adding sweet cinnamon sugar—yes, really!—to radishes is an easy way to cut some of that spice while still making a delicious dish. Thinly slice radishes and cover them in your favorite oil (Pinch of Yum says olive, we say try coconut), honey, cinnamon, and sugar to make sweet-yet-spicy crispy chips. Thankfully, you can get some pretty big ones in your Misfits boxes, so you may be able to dunk them in creamy dips.
Avocado Toast with Sliced Radishes
If you’re looking to switch up your avo-toast game, topping with thinly-sliced radishes is a crisp complement to the buttery avocado. Don’t forget flaky Kosher salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper—and maybe even a squeeze of lemon—to make this a truly delicious breakfast, lunch, or snack.
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White Bean and Radish Salad
Soft beans and crunchy radishes pair together in this Bon Appetit recipe where the texture combo alone is reason enough to make it. What’s more, it’s protein-rich and super filling, so you can even eat this for lunch when topped on toast. No sad desk lunches with Misfits radishes!
Feta and Radish Toast
Toast crusty bread and top it with your favorite crumbly cheese—we like feta—with fresh micro greens, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes. Garnish with slices of radish for this open-faced treat.
Cucumber and Radish Salad
Crisp and refreshing cucumbers pair oh-so-nicely with peppery radishes. Saveur says to top your diced veg with lots of fragrant dill and a fresh cow’s milk cheese. If you don’t want to make your own cheese (it’s easier than it sounds), then use pre-made burrata or mozzarella in this creamy-yet-crunchy side.
Potato Salad with Radishes
You know what your potato salad is missing? Radishes. This tangy recipe from Taste of Home is full of red potatoes, eggs, fresh chives, and lots of radish. It’s a spicy twist on a Southern classic.
Braised Radish Greens
Like carrots, you can eat the green tops of radishes. And like the root itself, the greens have a peppery flavor to them, so braising them can cut some of that unpleasant sharpness. Food52 suggests cooking both root and tops together for a soft, fragrant, and tasty dish.
Feta-Radish Quiche
This isn’t the first or last time we’ve tossed a quiche recipe in our roundups. The quiche is a utility player because you can literally add in whatever veggies you have on hand. In the summer, it’s heirloom tomatoes. In the fall? It’s spicy radish and tangy feta cheese. What’s your favorite veggie-cheese quiche combo?
Comments (3)
Not a big fan of radishes, I learned late in life what I’d been missing by not cooking them! Slices, sauteed in butter w/ a bit of sea salt and freashly ground pepper and finished with a few fresh or frozen green peas changed my entire prospective of this lowly little root veg so commonly used as only a garnish or salad add! Pretty amazing what cooking does to the flavor.
I made pesto from the radish greens! Served it over some shrimp. It was great.
I too never really cared for radishes until recently when I discovered they could be roasted and the bitterness, sharpness would go away. My family loves using radishes in place of potatoes in stews, so delicious!