With Apologies to the French

I have heard that the French like their radishes with butter, and a bit of salt. That they halve them, then dredge them through soft butter and sprinkle them liberally with salt. Or that they trim a tiny wedge from those plump little bodies, stuff it with butter and scatter crunchy salt crystals over the top. You get the idea, and how could you not: this is the easiest recipe for radishes. Period. 

I'm all for doing things the French way (see eggs en cocotte or the name of this blog). But I have to say, with apologies to all the Pierres and Amelies and Maximos out there, I prefer to treat radishes in a way that subdues their bitter bite rather than mask it with butter; there's nothing wrong with using butter to make radishes - or anything really - more enticing but I'd rather employ a salad dressing that tames their flavor without dominating it.

How very American of me, you say? Yes, it's true that we Americans relegate radishes to the salad bowl. That we scatter little radish rounds atop our daily greens or toss matchsticks together with carrots and cabbages in a colorful slaw. Or maybe we get really precious with those blushing beauties and carve them into radish rosettes that we perch on the edge of our plate. In any form, it's clear we think radishes are best enjoyed as a crispy, crunchy garnish. 

I certainly fell into that school of thought (or worse yet, the one in which people ignore radishes entirely). But that was before I found a recipe that makes radishes the star of the salad course. Radish carpaccio starts with paper-thin slices of radishes, tossed gently in a simple oil-vinegar dressing, then layered elegantly atop a plate. To this you add crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds, a tall, tangly pile of microgreens, a scattering of snipped herbs, a drizzle of walnut oil and salt. Nothing more, nothing less.

It's not so simple as dragging radishes through butter and salt but what you're left with is so much more: a salad that turns the seductive, scarlet skinned radish into art on your plate.   

Radish Carpaccio
This striking salad takes radishes out of the garnish role and makes them the center of attention on the plate. The chef who shared this recipe with me, he being the talented Chris Israel of Gruner, uses multiple shades of farmers market radishes to create a colorful canvas that he then “paints” with his favorite herbs. If you can’t find the pumpkin seed oil he calls for, walnut oil is a suitable substitution and more widely available as well.

Serves 4

¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper
16 radishes, washed and tops removed
Pumpkin seed oil

¼ cup fresh herbs such as dill, chives, savory, thyme, and tarragon, or any combination thereof

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 cups microgreens

Fleur de sel

In a small bowl, whisk the canola oil and apple cider vinegar together. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Using a mandoline, thinly slice the radishes. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced radishes with approximately half the dressing. Divide the radishes among four salad plates, arranging them in an overlapping circular pattern starting with the outside edges and circling inward until you reach the center of the plate.

Drizzle the radishes with the pumpkin seed oil. Sprinkle the herbs and pumpkin seeds over the radishes.

Toss the microgreens with the remaining half of the dressing and mound the greens in the center of each plate. Garnish with the fleur de sel and serve immediately.