The Best Radish Salad

This five ingredient radish salad will be your go-to spring side dish. Try it once and it might be the only way you eat radishes from now on! It’s fresh and bright and really highlights the slight bitterness and crunch of the vegetable.

Do you ever learn about a new cooking technique that changes your life forever? Okay that sounds dramatic but you guys… these radishes.

I tried a recipe for radishes several years ago where you sort of “massaged” them (just like kale salad!) and I don’t think I’ve prepared them any other way since. On their own, radishes can be rather bitter but if you slice them thin and use this technique, you’ll be surprised how much they mellow out. Plus lemon, cheese and dill. I mean you can’t go wrong here.

I’m a believer that most people don’t like vegetables because of how they’ve been served in the past. No gross mushy broccoli or plain steamed carrots around here. Let’s learn how to make vegetables taste GOOD.

Start by grabbing these simple ingredients:

Radish Salad Ingredients

• radishes (any variety, I love the multi-color ones)
• lemon
• dill
• parmesan cheese, I recommend fresh grated
• olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper

Like I mentioned above, slicing thin is best for vegetables that have a bitter flavor profile. I like to use a mandoline to get them to 1/8″ thickness, but you could also use a sharp knife (it just takes a bit longer).

side note: be extremely careful when using the mandoline. I recommend using the guard or one of those protective gloves to prevent any finger-slicing injuries.

Steps for Prepping Radishes

1. Slice the radishes to 1/8″ thickness
2. Add lemon juice and a big pinch of salt
3. Massage the juice into the radishes for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened and basically translucent. Optional: drizzle in some olive oil.
4. Add in the cheese and dill and toss to get everything really well incorporated.

Tips for Plating

Instead of serving this in a bowl, I like to scatter the radishes all over a plate in a single layer. This way you can finish with a shower of parmesan, dill and salt/pepper and every single bite is covered.

How pretty is this?

Technically one bunch can yield 2-3 servings but if you end up eating this whole plate by yourself, I wouldn’t blame you.

Radish FAQs

I’ve got farmer’s markets on my mind! This beautiful dish is about as simple as they come, but no flavor is sacrificed in the process.

More fresh vegetable sides:

• Purple Cabbage Slaw
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Farmer’s Market Salad

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