Vegetable
Radish
RábanoRaveRaphanus sativus
A bit peppery, very crunchy and grown in a month: the vegetable for the impatient. Spring ones, small and red, are the finest.
When
Around: Feb–Jun · Sept–Nov · At its best: Mar–May
Around: Feb–Jun · Sept–Nov · At its best: Mar–May
Around: Mar–May · Aug–Dec · At its best: Sept–Nov
Around here
In Catalonia the small round ones are called ravenets, and they're sold in bunches with the leaves on. And in Catalan, something you couldn't care less about «matters a radish to you».
At the market
- Firm and smooth; if they give when squeezed, they'll be hollow or spongy inside.
- Green, fresh leaves: the best giveaway of when they were pulled.
- Small or medium: big ones tend to be hotter and woody.
- No cracks: they split when they've stayed in the ground too long.
At home
- Once home, cut off the leaves: the radishes stay firm for longer.
- The radishes, in the fridge in a tub with damp paper: a good week.
- The leaves, within a day or two.
- If they go soft, half an hour in iced water makes them crisp again.
If you have too much
- Not frozen: they turn soft and watery.
- Quick pickles: sliced, with vinegar, water, salt and sugar; pink within a day.
- Roasted or sautéed in butter: they lose their bite and turn sweet.
- The leaves, in an omelette, a soup or a pesto.
In the kitchen
- Raw, with butter and flaky salt, the French way.
- Thinly sliced in a lettuce salad.
- With young broad beans and peas, in a spring salad.
- Pickled, to liven up tacos or a sandwich.
- Sautéed whole with their leaves and a little green garlic.
“To take the radish by the leaves”: to get the wrong end of the stick.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 16 kcal
- Water
- 95% water
- Carbs
- 3.4 g
- Sugars
- 1.9 g
- Fibre
- 1.6 g
- Protein
- 0.7 g
Stands out for
- Source of vitamin C14.8 mg · 19% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- LettuceMar–Jul · Sept–NovIt's nearly all water, which is why local lettuce wins: freshly picked, it crunches, while one that spends days in a lorry arrives tired. It hates strong heat: in August it bolts and turns bitter.
- Broad beanFeb–MayYou buy a kilo and end up with a handful: the pod weighs more than the beans. The first small, tender ones can even be eaten raw.
- PeaFeb–MayAs soon as it leaves the plant, its sugar starts turning into starch. That's why a freshly shelled one tastes of something else: sweet, almost like fruit.
- Green garlicFeb–MayIt's garlic before it forms a bulb: the young plant, pulled while it still looks like a skinny leek. It tastes of garlic, but politely.