The inspiration for these blushing beauties came from a surprisingly delicious radish salad my husband and I had for breakfast last summer in LA (yes, breakfast!) — despite my initial reservations when I saw it on the morning menu, I was completely smitten. The radish salad was served on buttered sourdough (base layer) with generous chunks of avocado over top, fresh dill and lemon juice (oh, and some fresh ground pepper and a poached egg on the side) — so good!
Raw radish is not for everyone. It tends to retain its distinctive wasabi’esque bite (part of the mustard family) and isn’t something I’d be especially interested in eating for breakfast.
But the thing about pickled radish is that the marinating process mellows the sting so you end up with those yummy savory flavors, and some satisfying crunch, without the blowback. It’s delish with avo toast but don’t stop there!
These quick pickled radish are perfect for summer picnics and barbecues — you can also toss them into sandwiches, Buddha bowls, and over eggs. They’d also make a great addition to a cheese board or appetizer/tapas spread. Enjoy and if you’re ever in Laguna Beach, be sure to stop in here for breakfast.
- 1 generous bunch red radish (at least half pound/225g), julienned
- ½ cup (125 ml) water (+ separate water to fill kettle)
- ½ cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 1 flat Tbsp (15 ml) coarse grain sugar (as opposed to liquid sugar)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) black peppercorns
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- Place julienned radish in a colander or mesh sieve and hold over sink. Carefully pour boiling water over the radish to soften them, allowing the water to simply drain through.
- Carefully transfer warm radish to a clean 1 pint mason jar.
- In a separate bowl (or measuring cup with spout ideally) combine the apple cider vinegar, ½ cup water, salt and sugar until all is dissolved and well combined.
- Pour liquid mixture over radish and intermingle the peppercorns.
- Place lid on mason jar and refrigerate ideally for 1 day before using (but at least 4 hours).
- The pickled radish will store well in the sealed mason jar in the fridge for a week or longer.
The Vinegar: apple cider vinegar (diluted to 5% acidity) works perfectly here - imparting a really nice flavor without the sharp acidity.
Cutting the Radish - it's surprisingly simple to julienne the radishes - cut the end bits off, slice each fairly thin and then cut the disks (circles) into match sticks. It only took a few minutes.
Warming the Radish - running boiled water over the radish facilitates absorption of the brine and seasonings.
My version of Zinc Café’s smashed avocado toast with radish salad, lemon and heaps of fresh dill ✨ (more please!)
Years ago, we went to Susur Lee’s resto in NYC and had his famous Singapore Slaw aka 19 ingredient slaw. It was awesome. One of the ingredients was pickled red onion; I was blown away how the pickling mellowed the sharpness of the onion. Even JT ate it and he abhors raw onion. I can totally see how pickling would mellow the harsh peppery flavour of the radishes.
This time of year, our greengrocers have the most awesome local radishes, some as large as plums! I just love to eat them raw with a sprinkling of sea salt. I’ve been making a lot of kimchee (there is always a jar in the fridge) but this would definitely be a lovely change and a wonderful flavour with the poached egg and avocado. Thanks Kelly, it’s definitely going on my summer breakfast list.
Summer weather has finally arrived and the humidity has set in, but I will not complain, winter was far too long this year.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was searching for an easy pickled radish recipe for tacos tomorrow night and here you are. I like that you julienned them rather than slice. That’s easier to deal with on a taco. I’ll probably add a little cabbage and onion as well to make a pickled slaw. I was also wondering if avocado would work with them and again, there it is. :)
Hope things are going well Kelly!
well, how great is that! Happy to be of service my dear ;o- they would be perfect for taco night!! (I like them julienned too and it was no biggie to prep) yes, topped with avo – can I come for dinner?! :)
I’m in Arizona now but lived in Laguna Beach, CA for years and enjoyed the Zinc Cafe’s great food. I’m definitely going to try this.
Hi Marilyn! Thank you so much for dropping in, I was absolutely delighted to read your note. I mentioned to my husband this weekend that one of the things that thrills me the most about blogging is that it connects me to people all around the world; and I don’t know how it happens that a particular post finds its way into the right person’s hands – but whenever it does, it feels like a little bit of magic. Thank you for reminding me of that. We felt like we struck gold on Zinc Café’s breakfast — full of thoughtful food options, and so delicious! (and let’s face it, that view isn’t bad either ;-) My husband and I were so happy we stopped in! Cheers Marilyn, thank you again for connecting, it really made my day.
Hi Kelly, Tried this tonight and it’s absolutely delicious! Thanks!
I’m thrilled to hear that Carole! Thank you so much for letting me know 🌱
It looks not only delicious but also beautiful and summery! You have reminded me of an old post with pickled radish… written several years ago. I’ve completely forgotten I used to pickle pink radish too!
All the ingredients of the toast you describe sound fabulous. It would a dream breakfast for me (my favourite is crisp Finnish bread, fresh goat cheese and pickled green chillies on top, so I am not scared of radish!).
Thank you for this wonderful summery pickling idea! I eat tons of radish these days, so I’ll pickle some.
Hi Sissi, that crisp Finnish bread sounds wonderful with the pickled green chillies – an invigorating way to start the day for sure ;d Glad these appeal, hope you get a chance to make them sometime.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm is all I can say! These sound fabulous, and I love the toasts!
thaaannnnnnnnk you Mimi! :)