Quick-Pickled Watermelon Radish Recipe
If you’ve got small radishes, use three. This recipe is specifically for sweet radishes like watermelon and purple. Regular radishes will make another fun quick-pickled quart, but know that they pack more heat than these guys.
Our local CSA gives us a bounty of watermelon radishes and purple radishes. They taste mildly sweet, have a delicious snap, and they are a joy to look at.
You’d be correct in assuming that the bright color of these sweet veggies means they are packed with flavonoids.
If you can’t find these around you, I apologize. I (happily) have a fridge full of them and try to incorporate them into our diet at least once a day, because radishes are super good for you.
Radishes come from the same nutritious brassica family as broccoli, cabbage, and kale. They are: full of vitamin C and minerals, are good for your heart, contain sulforaphane ("a natural compound with anticancer and chemoprotective properties. This substance may induce breast cancer cell death even at relatively low concentrations”), and they are even anti-fungal!
These are delectable sliced (raw) and dipped into our peanut sauce. This is one of our favorite things to put out for a snack for Q or guests.
The absolute favorite, however, is the quick pickled variety. Q likes these so much he does little dances when he hears he getting some.
Much like the quick-pickled cabbage, this is based off our favorite combo of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, paprika, and grated garlic (take note that when I say 1 clove, our CSA gives us beautifully LARGE cloves, so up yours to 2 if you’re getting piddly ones).
Special Tip: grate that garlic into the liquids before you start cutting into the radishes (and add the salt and paprika), so the brine has time to start working together.
Quick-Pickled Watermelon Radishes. Tasty on their own, or a fun addition to black rice and peanut sauce bowls. Also tastes good in miso, chopped up and added to tacos, or just about anywhere you wanna throw a pickled veggie. :-)
