Bread-and-Butter Radishes
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 45 mins
Active: 20 mins
Makes: 1 3/4 cup
By Regan Burns
Pickling radishes mellows their flavor so they’re not as peppery as normal yet still have a great crisp texture, plus a sweet-and-sour edge. Anything that you would normally put radishes on—a simple green salad, burgers, or poached fish—gets dressed up by this quick pickle. Try it on our Pickled Radish and Sweet Butter Tea Sandwiches for an easy and elegant snack.
Game plan: Pickles will last in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days.
This recipe was featured as part of our Mother’s Day Tea Party story.
- 1 bunch red radishes (about 13 radishes)
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow or brown mustard seed
- 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 medium dried bay leaf
- Rinse radishes and trim off their leafy tops. Holding the stem end, thinly slice radishes with a mandoline or a sharp knife. When you get close to the stem, stop slicing and discard the end. Place radishes in a heatproof, nonreactive bowl, and set in the refrigerator while making the brine.
- Combine red wine vinegar, sugar, water, salt, mustard seed, coriander seed, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let pickling brine cool for about 5 minutes. Remove radishes from the refrigerator and pour brine over them. Let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes; cover and refrigerate. Use to top burgers, sandwiches, or anything else that needs a little tarting up.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
This looks delish! And so easy too! I've filed this away for my summer bbq's
I would like to know do you need to process these like regular canning pickles ...and how long will they last in the refrig. Anytime you talk about pickling you should provide this information.
Denay
Radishes are a crunchy, savory delight! But why remove greens then discard tops? Maybe use greens as something to help hold on, and so slice more of the root (esp. if, like me, you've got big hammy fingers!) Couldn't one use the greens in the brine?
Note to Denay: Though it's not spelled out explicitly, if you think about what the recipe DOES tell us, it's implied that this is not a hot bath processed preserve. 1) There's only 45 minutes in total time and 2)under "GAME PLAN", the recipe specifies the pickles last "up to five days" in the fridge. It's pretty safe to say, this is definitely not a canned item. Hope that helps.
I think it would be pretty hard to write a recipe if an editor had to list all the things that are NOT to be done. Especially since there's a whole world of quick pickles, from salting veg for 10 minutes, to marinating overnight in a salty or acidic medium.
Oh man. I just made these a few hours ago, though with some variation in sugar and spice-- I used a mix of brown and white sugars, with an addition of celery and caraway seeds. And they are already looking fabulous.
I made them for my 5-year old daughter, who likes pickles and radishes-- and she keeps eying the jar in the refrigerator, too. This was a pretty easy recipe for my first foray into quick pickles.