19 Unique Radish Recipes

Radish Tartines with Green Butter
Photo: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Cook Varner

Crisp, vibrant radishes can do a whole lot more than passively rest on top of salad. Raw, they can easily be promoted to salad's lead ingredient, as in Thai-Style Radish and Watermelon Salad, or be featured on eye-catching toasts, like in Purple Daikon Coconut Yogurt Toast with Peanut Salsa. For cooked preparations, they can be braised, roasted, or sautéed, with or without their leafy green tops. Radishes are wonderful no matter which way you slice — or cook! — them. Enjoy a variety here.

01 of 19

Honey Mustard-Braised Radishes and Mustard Greens

Honey-Mustard-Braised Radishes and Mustard Greens
© Michael Turek

Star chef Grant Achatz features pungent mustard three ways in this surprisingly easy radish side dish, including the nose-tingling condiment, the greens, and the seeds.

02 of 19

Purple Daikon Coconut Yogurt Toast with Peanut Salsa

Purple Daikon Toast with Coconut Yogurt and Peanut Salsa
Photo by Sarah Crowder / Food Styling by Chandra Ram

Thick coconut yogurt, peppery purple daikon radish, and a chile-lime peanut salsa come together for this savory yogurt toast created by Filipino-American chef Woldy Reyes. He advises using a thick coconut yogurt for this recipe; if yours is too thin, spoon it into a piece of cheesecloth and let it drain over a bowl for a couple of hours to thicken.

03 of 19

Snap Pea-Radish Salad with Herbed Yogurt

Snap Pea–Radish Salad with Herbed Yogurt
© Con Poulos

The herbed yogurt in this dish from Portland, Oregon chef Joshua McFadden is a summer staple. Change up the herbs (we like tarragon, dill, and cilantro as a variation) or add in some minced shallot or chopped pickled ramps leftover from spring. The recipe is incredibly versatile — any peak-season summer produce will work.

04 of 19

Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens

Roasted Radishes
© JOHN KERNICK

Chef Gerard Craft came up with this clever recipe one year when his local farmer had an abundance of radishes. Craft tried roasting them. The result: warm, crisp-tender radishes with delightfully bitter greens, which he finishes with butter and lemon.

05 of 19

Feta and Radish Toasts

Feta-and-Radish Toasts. Photo © John Kernick
© John Kernick

Chef Steven Satterfield says you can use any assortment of radishes for these toasts, like watermelon, pink beauty, cherry belle, or d'Avignon. If you slice the radishes ahead of time, keep them in a bowl of ice water, which makes them extra cold and crispy.

06 of 19

Kale Pad Thai with Daikon Radish

Kale Pad Thai with Daikon Radish
© Anya Kassoff

All of the beloved flavors and textures of pad thai are preserved in this dish, but as a bonus it's packed with greens and fresh herbs. Soft rice noodles are combined with crunchy fresh daikon strips for an interesting twist.

07 of 19

Summer Radishes with Chèvre, Nori, and Smoked Salt

Summer Radishes with Chèvre, Nori and Smoked Salt
© Anna Williams

In this very simple appetizer, chef Jeremy Fox combines slivers of nori with bits of goat cheese — a clever, tantalizing mix of salty and creamy — then serves the dish with radishes and a sprinkle of smoked salt.

08 of 19

Fresh Ricotta and Radish Crostini

Fresh Ricotta and Radish Crostini
© John Kernick

Homemade ricotta cheese is completely delicious and unbelievably easy to prepare — all it takes is milk, lemon juice, and a little heat. Chef Paul Kahan spreads it on crostini, then adds a few slices of pretty red radish and a sprinkling of pepper.

09 of 19

Crusted Hake with Radishes and Turnips

Crusted Hake with Radishes and Turnips
© John Kernick

To create an incredibly crisp crust for delicate hake fillets, Food & Wine Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple uses Cream of Wheat cereal, an idea inspired by the late NYC chef Floyd Cardoz.

10 of 19

Spicy Quick-Pickled Radishes

Spicy Quick-Pickled Radishes
© Con Poulos

These zesty pickled radishes make a great accompaniment to rich pâté or rillettes. They get their kick from chiles de árbol.

11 of 19

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with Apple-Radish Vinaigrette

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with Apple-Radish Vinaigrette
© Eva Kolenko

A little Champagne vinegar in the dressing adds punchy flavor to these super easy steaks. The dish comes together in only 30 minutes from just five ingredients, plus salt and pepper.

12 of 19

Radish Tartines with Green Butter

Radish Tartines with Green Butter
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Cook Varner

These radish and turnip-topped tartines are a great way to use up radishes and turnips with their greens attached. The radish and turnip greens whipped with sweet butter, garlic, and lemon zest create a delicious, silky spread for the tartines, while the spicy, paper-thin radishes and turnips make the perfect topping. Finished with crunchy sea salt, these are a great appetizer or light lunch.

13 of 19

Spaghetti with Radish Greens Pesto

Spaghetti with Radish-Greens Pesto
© Con Poulos

Radish greens make a super-fresh, flavorful pesto. You can also use beet or turnip greens. Garnish the dish with roasted pumpkin seeds and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve with a lively medium-bodied white wine.

14 of 19

Thai-Style Radish and Watermelon Salad

Thai-Style Radish and Watermelon Salad
© Michael Turek

According to Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio, "Radishes are the unsung heroes of the vegetable world." He has been passionate about them ever since he was a kid in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he'd pick them from his grandfather's small garden. "Radishes add texture, spice, and color," he says. Here, he tosses them with watermelon, chiles, and a fish sauce dressing for a refreshing salad.

15 of 19

Raw Corn and Radish Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

Raw Corn and Radish Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing
© Tina Rupp

Food writer and editor Nick Fauchald rarely cooks fresh corn in the summer because it's so much better straight off the cob. Here, he tosses sweet, fresh corn kernels (preferably picked that day) with radishes and a puckery lime dressing flavored with jalapeños and honey.

16 of 19

Smoked Trout with Roasted Radishes and Fennel–Stone Fruit Salad

Smoked Trout with Roasted Radishes and Fennel and Stone Fruit Salad
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

At Racines in New York City, chef Diego Moya served confit trout with an almond oil, apricot kernel vinegar, and honey vinaigrette with tart underripe peaches. This homage leans on store-bought smoked trout and aged sherry vinegar for a weeknight-friendly dish.

17 of 19

Sautéed Radishes with Orange Butter

Sauteed Radishes with Orange Butter
© Con Poulos

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse sautés radishes and their greens with bacon, shallots, and orange juice until they're perfectly crisp-tender.

18 of 19

Snap Pea and Radish Salad with Tahini Dressing

Snap Pea and Radish Salad with Tahini Dressing
© Nicole Franzen

Tahini and sesame seeds flavor this quick, refreshing, and unexpected salad.

19 of 19

Radishes with Seaweed-Matcha Butter

Radishes with Seaweed-Matcha Butter
© Con Poulos

It's worth finding cultured butter to make chefs-restaurateurs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske's riff on the classic French appetizer; it's slightly tangy and high in butterfat.

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