Radishes with Wild Garlic Butter Recipe

Updated: Aug 1

This radish recipe makes the perfect simple starter or apéritif for spring

This is an absolute classic in France:'radis croque en sel'. Balance out the pepperiness and crunchiness of the radish with creamy butter and a little sprinkle of sea salt. I've given it a little twist for spring by flavouring my butter with wild garlic and lemon. You can also use this compound butter when cooking meat, fish or potatoes.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

240g radishes
90g salted butter
1 lemon, zested
6g wild garlic
S&P

Method:

Leave the butter out to soften, dice it into small pieces and flatten them with the back of a spoon if you want to speed up that process.
Zest the lemon and finely chop the wild garlic, then mix them into the butter with a bit of black pepper. You can use a stand mixer or food processor to do this, but I prefer to just mix vigorously with a spatula to save on washing up.
Wash the radishes, save the leaves to make a pesto or add to a salad.
Serve the radishes with the flavoured butter and a little mound of sea salt and begin to dip and smother to your hearts content.
If this is being served as finger food, you can also halve the radishes and top each halve with a bit of butter and sea salt before serving them up on a platter.
Bon appétit!

More about this recipe:

Did you know radishes have long been used for their medicinal properties? They're a great addition to the diet for restorative moments as they contain:

Gallic acid and sulforaphane sulfur compounds - antioxidants which have been shown to have anticancer properties.

Glucosinolates sulfur compounds - Lower blood glucose levels and have anticancer properties.

Vitamin C - involved in protecting cells from damage and aging effects.

Full of other antioxidants and phenolic compounds - which reduce oxidative stress and support brain health.

Store any of the excess compound butter from this radish recipe in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Or, you can roll it into a sausage shape using parchment paper and leave to harden in the fridge, then slice into individual pieces and keep in the freezer to use as and when needed. Alternatively, scoop into an ice cube tray to store in the freezer.

Use it when cooking meet or fish, or use to flavour carbs such as potatoes, pasta or rice.