San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Savoring the spicy sting of radishes
When I first moved to the United States from Germany, where I grew up and began my career, I was surprised at how little radishes are used in American cuisine. To me, they are delicious, not to mention inexpensive, longlasting and full of nutrients.
Radishes are root vegetables. With firm, crunchy flesh and skin in all kinds of colors, including pink and green, radishes are often described as spicy or peppery, but I think “nosey” is a better descriptor. Like their much bolder cousins wasabi and horseradish, radishes contain glucosinolates, the mustard oil component in some foods that creates that characteristic, but benign, sting.
The sensation of radishes is felt mostly in the sinuses. So while their flavor can be mild, they have a lingering “spicy” aftereffect that is felt in the nose, not the mouth. Like chiles, the strength of this nosiness is variable. Even from radish to radish in the same bunch, one might be far more potent than another.
The most common radish is known in the U.S. as a breakfast radish, but you might also see it called a red radish or a globe radish. This variety is smaller than a golf ball with a white flesh and bright red skin. Breakfast radishes are typically eaten raw, shaved thinly for salads or sandwiches, or pickled for a flavorful condiment.
You’ll frequently find radishes used this way in Latin and Southeast Asian cuisines, among others. Here in San Antonio, it is common to find them topping a street taco.
Similar to the breakfast radish are the icicle radish, Easter egg radish and the oblong French radish, which are slightly milder in flavor. Dipping these radishes raw into salted butter is a popular treat, but I most love them marinated in a standard, quick-pickling brine, with salt, sugar, vinegar and maybe even some sesame oil and scallions.
When brined, the red skin of the radishes will bleed into the pickling liquid, turning their flesh pink. Though you can pickle radishes whole, they will absorb the brine faster if cut into smaller pieces, so I prefer them thinly sliced on a mandoline or cut into wedges, depending on how I will use them.
You’ve likely seen dishes in restaurants or food magazines that are garnished with brightly colored and sometimes geometrically patterned vegetables. Those are probably radishes.
While there are tons of heirloom varieties with bright flesh and starburst patterns, the most common and easy to find is the
watermelon radish. With light green and white skin giving way to bright pink flesh, watermelon radishes are mellow in flavor and mostly used for their dynamic appearance. These radishes will lose some of their vibrance if pickled or cooked, so I like to take advantage of their beauty by serving them raw, simply sprinkled with salt.
Other types to note include the Korean green radish, which is bright green on the interior and commonly served paperthin on a plate as a side dish, like a carpaccio.
Daikon radishes are much larger than other common varieties and are most often used in
Asian cuisines. They can grow very large — up to a foot or even more — but the smaller ones tend to be less fibrous and more enjoyable. In Japan, very small versions are grated and used like wasabi, but the larger variety are generally julienned for salads or garnish, or marinated for uses like kimchi.
In Germany, a spiralized white radish, similar to the daikon, is served raw with just a sprinkling of salt, sugar and pepper as a popular snack.
Though not my personal preference, radishes can be cooked, which brings out their sweetness and softens the crunchy interior to a tender
finish. I can imagine a plantforward main course of a barbecued or deeply roasted daikon radish, sliced and served with tortillas or steamed Asian-style buns and plenty of accompaniments.