How to Pickle Radishes Without Leaving the Dance Floor

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Quick Pickled Radishes in a Jar. Photo by Cecilia Kennedy

The red-colored stuff in the jar in the fridge smells like some kind of flesh-eating foot fungus—and I can’t get enough of it.  No— pickled radishes do not fill the house with heavenly aromas, but they taste wonderful.  In fact, I’m trying to figure out how to take them in my carry-on luggage for my next cross-country flight.  (Don’t sit next to me. And don’t put me in an “exit seat.” I will save the radishes first.)

The thing is—I already love radishes. No one had to do anything to make me love them any more, but the minute the fermented and pickled craze hit—with briny sweet and spicy radishes on tacos and sandwiches—I could no longer just toss them “naked” into a salad.  I’m spoiled.  Really spoiled.  If anyone says to me, “I’m serving pickled radishes at my wedding,” I will crash that wedding and start a Conga line to the buffet table. So, if you’re wondering, “What would it take to get the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team to start a Conga line?”  Well, for this part of the Team, it doesn’t take much.  Not much at all.

Except—I know that pickling and canning takes a while, so I’ve never attempted to actually pickle or can anything.  I just don’t have the patience sometimes. Here’s an example:  After spending more than a minute trying to open a bottle of incredibly stubborn vegetable juice, I cried out, “Why? Why does everything have to be so hard?”  That was the day I decided I should not take on a pickling or canning project, until I saw this recipe for “Spicy Quick Pickled Radishes” by Cookie and Kate.  I’m happy to say that I followed most of the recipe.  I’m listing the steps I followed here—in case you 1) can’t live without pickled radishes, and 2) need to start a Conga line “now” and can’t wait.

Ingredients:

–one bunch of radishes, washed and cut into thin slices.  (Remove the tops and bottoms first—otherwise, the radishes look kind of “evil” with long spiky things sticking out of them. I know that sounds scary, but remember: you have the knife; they don’t. What are they going to do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.)

–3/4 of a cup of water

–3/4 of a cup of apple cider vinegar

–3 tablespoons of honey

–1 tsp of salt

–1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional—the original recipe calls for about 1 tsp—I thought that would have been too spicy.)

Method:

In a small saucepan, heat the water, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt until boiling.  Then, remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. (Conga while you wait maybe? Though, it’s not that long of a wait, really.)

Place the radish slices into a jar and top them with the red pepper flakes.

Pour the water/cider/honey/salt mixture over the radishes. You can eat them right away–(now!)  Or, if you have some patience left over, cover the jar and let the radishes get nice and cold in the refrigerator.

Then, Conga, Conga, Conga to the fridge, my friends.  Conga hard.

Your Turn:  What is your favorite vegetable and/or condiment?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

46 thoughts on “How to Pickle Radishes Without Leaving the Dance Floor”

      2. De nada–pasé tres meses en Salamanca con una familia simpática y generosa. Era estudiante del español y la madre de la casa siempre me preparaba platos riquísimos. Nunca los voy a olvidar. Ciao 🙂

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      3. Salamanca es una ciudad maravillosa, mucho arte , estudiantes y excelente comida… tú siempre serás bienvenida 🙈🙈🙈👍👍👍 cuídate y gracias

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  4. Now there’s a blog title I never expected to see! 😂
    I’ve never picked radishes, can’t say I’m a big fan of them either, though I’ve probably only eaten them once, years ago.. Will have to give them a second chance. Favourite veg is a hard one, maybe red onion? Also love peas!xx

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  9. Ooh, I love pickles. I’ll have to give your recipe a go. I usually have jars of home-made pickles in the fridge such as red cabbage, shallots, cauliflower and cucumber.

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  11. I really enjoy reading your columns – – like my cooking, the there’s a strong element of the unpredictable. I’ve got very limited cooking skills & knowledge – – is the conga thing, a necessary part of the preparation, or purely celebratory? Usually when I’m pickling, it’s more of an Argentine tango, because of all the vinegar spilled on the linoleum, would that work?

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    1. Thanks! I should probably mention that the kitchen IS the dance floor in our house. It’s probably not a safe thing–to be dancing and cooking–so the conga line might not be recommended, just from a safety standpoint–but where’s the fun in that?

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  18. I love pickles, although pickled radish isn’t a thing here. I’m going to be pickling yellow beetroot next week, first try. As for favourite veg, it’d have to be potatoes. Maybe not the healthiest choice, but I love chips (fries) and roast potatoes. I have a fabulous image of you heading conga lines at random strangers weddings, on the off chance they’re serving pickled radish!

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  19. I’ll start with the disclaimer that I don’t pickle things lol But my mom pickles peppers (either chili or some less spicy kinds) with almost the same recipe, minus the honey and plus pieces of garlic – and no boiling.Then you let the mixture rest in a dark place (it’s probably evil and likes a dark lair) for a while and use it to spice up your food. =) Hope you’re having a good weekend! (And now I need to try a radish, I have never eaten one!)

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