David Tanis Market Cooking

I always serve a plate of radishes at dinner parties. I set it out with the hors d’oeuvres, then bring it to the table for nibbling during the meal. Crisp and peppery, a radish is always welcome. Do look for the best radishes, though, with fresh green leaves, not the sad topless ones in plastic bags at the supermarket. And go for other varieties along with round reds: French breakfast, icicle, or Easter egg. There are also long or round black radishes and colorful watermelon radishes (these must be very thinly sliced, as they are hard and dense and would be unpleasantly chewy otherwise). And daikon radish, which is delicious raw, cooked, pickled, or turned into kimchi. The green leaves of any radish can be cooked like spinach or added to a mixture of cooking greens. My French friends love to eat bright red radishes with a dab of good butter and crunchy sea salt. That’s fine, but I’d rather have thinly sliced salted radishes on buttered bread.

Shaved Radish Salad

A stunning mix of red-, white-, and violet-hued radishes.

Only four ingredients—radishes, salt, pepper, and crème fraîche—and yet this makes an extremely tasty raw vegetable first course. If you can, use the wonderfully sharp black radishes, still relatively scarce in the States but available at some farmers’ markets. Or try a combination of red radishes, daikon, and/or pink-and-green-striped watermelon radishes. You can even use some tender young turnips. The only work is in the slicing. A mandoline is the best tool to ensure the slices are uniformly thin.

With a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the radishes as thin as possible. Arrange the slices on a platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt—use a sea salt with texture.

If the crème fraîche is quite thick, beat it with a spoon for a minute to loosen it, or thin with a few drops of milk or water. Spoon it generously over the sliced radishes. Finish with as much freshly ground pepper as you like. Makes 4 servings

A drizzle of fruity olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, is a delicious indulgence spooned over the crème fraîche at the last minute. Or garnish this with spicy radish sprouts and chopped chives. You can also serve the radish salad on toasted thinly sliced rye bread for great little open-faced sandwiches.

Butter-Stewed Radishes with Dill

Round red radishes, when braised, resemble little turnips in flavor and texture and are surprisingly good seasoned just with salt and pepper. They’re done in the blink of an eye and turn pale pink or violet when cooked.

Trim the tops from the radishes, leaving ¼ inch of the green stems. Cut off the root at the base of each radish, then cut each radish in half or quarters from top to bottom. Radishes can be sandy, so soak them in a large bowl of lukewarm water, agitating them to loosen any clinging sand. Remove, drain, and rinse briefly.

Put the radishes in a wide skillet and season well with salt and pepper. Add the butter and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to a brisk simmer, and cook the radishes until just tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat, and boil to evaporate most of the liquid.

Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve the radishes in the buttery juices, sprinkled with the dill. Makes 4 servings

Daikon Radish in Dashi Broth

Left: Kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes are the simple ingredients for making the Japanese broth known as dashi. Right: Daikon slices simmered in dashi.

Daikon is considered a radish and it can be sliced thinly for a salad, but in most instances it’s treated more like a turnip and cooked. (You can substitute daikon for turnips in any restaurant dish too. In fact, the traditional turnip cakes you find in dim sum parlors are actually daikon cakes.) Japanese cooks like to simmer daikon in dashi, the delicious broth made with kombu, a type of seaweed. The simmered daikon makes a light, genteel appetizer or snack. Simply place a few slices in small bowls with a ladle of broth. Serve warm or cold.

1 medium daikon radish, about 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into ¾-inch slices