I don’t know where my son gets it from, but he loves him some pickles! We live on the outskirts of Japan Town and frequently make good use of the restaurants. Yum. My son’s favorite restaurant serves this pickled salad as soon as you sit down. Something to whet your appetite as you await your sushi (or in my case agedashi tofu). My son will pull his pickled salad closer to him, grab both my husband’s and my bowls, arrange them in line order, pick up his chopsticks and go to town.
I’m thinking of nicknaming him Peter Piper.
So when I got a bunch of radishes in last Thursday’s CSA pickup, the first thing that came to mind was pickled radish. I don’t think my son has ever had a pickled radish per say. In fact, I can only think of one time he’s had a radish un-pickled. It was a French breakfast radish. So we’ll see what he thinks. The last time I surprised him with a pickle (carrots, mind you, CARROTS!) he scoffed as if to say, “Nice try. A sushi-chef who part-times in vinegars, you are not.”
Here’s hoping the radishes make a bigger (the size of a pebble being thrown in a pond?) splash.
I found a recipe for bread-and-butter radishes on Chow.com. Reviewers seemed to like it, and I had the ingredients, so I thought, “Why not?” right?
Pickled Radishes
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons salt (note the original recipe on Chow.com called for kosher, I used sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seed (note the original recipe calls for yellow or brown mustard seed)
Dash of coriander (note original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed)
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 dried bay leaf
Start with farm or garden-fresh radishes. I love the color!
Cut top of radish and leafy green off. Slice into thin rounds. Set aside.
Combine remainder of ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. 3-4 minutes
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Put radishes into a clean 1 pint jar.
Pour vinegar solution over them. Let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes; cover and refrigerate.
What to do with your pickled radishes
- Snack on em
- Top your burger
- Make these cute little tea sandwiches
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks great and not too complicated. I always seem to find that radishes taste a bit too earthy for me. Does the pickling eliminate that?
This recipe is definitely not complicated. This pickle gives the radishes a sort of sweet and sour taste. If it’s the earthiness you don’t care for, then yes, you will probably enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you try it! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the advice. I finally did try out this recipe and it was a big hit with the whole family. The pickling has definitely improved the flavor of the radish–yummy!
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it!
Can I substitute pre-packaged radishes from the vegetable section instead of the bunch?
Can I substitute apple cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar?
Instead of all white sugar can I substitute all or part with brown sugar?
Can these radishes be canned in a 10 minute water bath or would they need to be pressure canned?
Thanks,
Tim Miller
trm1224@yahoo.com
Thanks for the questions, Tim. You can absolutely sub pre-packaged for “fresh radishes”. Yes on the cider vingear subbing for red wine vinegar. I think that would be good, especially with the brown sugar. For brown sugar, you should use the same quantity but pack it versus scooping it loosely.
I am not sure about the canner bath. This was a refrigerated recipe. I didn’t test it for pH. Let me know how the changes turn out!
I am growing my own radishes so mine dont come in bunches. How many cups of sliced radishes would this recipe call for?
It should be about 3/4 pound of radishes. Basically, enough to fill the jar. So if you have too may slices, throw the leftovers on a salad!