Few things are reliable anymore, but you can be pretty sure that if it is France and it is July, there will be at least a few days when it is too hot to cook.
And when this happens, when the cooker becomes the enemy, the answer, reliably, is the radish (radis). Crisp, crunchy and cool from the fridge, the radish has more than one way to rescue a cook on a sweltering summer’s day.
Know your varieties
At any French market, you will encounter the classic radis: small, oval, scarlet-tipped with white, gathered into a bunch by its leaves. This is what most of us think of when we think of a radish. These were once slower-growing, but to meet demand, French horticulturists in the 18th Century reduced cultivation time from 25 to 20 days, then to 18 days. Most of the radishes on French market stalls are this famous radis de 18 jours, a specifically French horticultural achievement.
The Demi-long de Rouen, a heritage variety, is another elongated type, but milder, worth seeking out from specialist growers. Bright red round radishes are spicier; you can sometimes find purple ones too, which taste much the same.
The oval, white-tipped variety goes by the name of “Breakfast Radish” in English, which has nothing to do with French radish-eating habits. The origin of this name is contested and no one can say for certain. Still, I like the story that it evolved from the 19th-Century Parisian tradition of market vendors and workers eating these radishes with butter and salt as a mid-morning snack. Somehow, the story goes, this translated to a petit-déjeuner at the market stalls of Les Halles.
Choosing and keeping
Like most fresh produce, choose a radish that is smooth and firm, with no cracks or signs of sponginess. Choose bunches with the leaves still attached and let them guide you: they should be bright green, not yellowing or limp. As a general rule, smaller radishes are sweeter and milder, while very large ones can be hollow and sharp.
Remove the leaves as soon as possible, as they draw moisture from the roots. Radishes grow best in light, sandy soil, so some come with a little dirt. Rinse well in a bowl of cool water, drain, pat dry, and keep refrigerated. The leaves are entirely edible and rather good, but these should be used promptly. Rinse and dry them too, then cook as you would spinach.
Radish rituals
The French way to eat radishes is simple: put them on a plate, accompanied by good butter and a small bowl of fleur de sel. For the full effect, slice the root end into a cross to create a cavity for the butter to nestle in. I like to keep a tiny bit of the green stem to act as a handle.
The butter, unsalted, should be soft but not warm. This is a fine balance; as a guide, never straight from the fridge is the simple rule. For a proper apéritif, serve the butter and radishes with fleur de sel for dipping. Add a baguette, slice the radishes and season, and the whole thing becomes a tartine radis beurre.
Radishes and wine might seem an unlikely pairing, but it is no accident. That peppery bite wakes up the palate rather than dulling it, which is exactly what a good apéritif snack should do. The butter, which may seem a strange partner for a raw vegetable, is key: it softens the sharpness while the salt heightens everything else.
A raw radish on its own might be a difficult proposition alongside a delicate white wine. But radish, butter, and salt together create a balanced, rounded mouthful that is far less aggressive than the radish alone.
Sometimes the best summer meal is the one that barely qualifies as cooking: radishes trimmed, butter softened, a little charcuterie and baguette alongside, and the job is done.
In the kitchen
Radishes can also be cooked, which may not be what you want when it is sweltering, but try them pan-roasted in butter as a delicious alternative; a few minutes in a hot pan transforms them from sharp and peppery to tender and almost sweet, which is one of the more pleasing surprises a radish can offer.
Wafer-thin slices, cut on a mandoline, are both pretty and versatile. These can be scattered over open-face tartines of sliced boiled eggs with mayonnaise, or atop houmous for dipping. My favourite treatment, though, is to grate them on the large holes of a box grater, then add the tiny strips of pink and white pepperiness to almost anything: thick yogurt with fresh herbs and seasoning, store- bought carottes rapées, or spreadable goat cheese, to name just a few.
Wafer-thin slices of radish can be scattered over open-face tartines of sliced boiled eggsMOLEQL/Shutterstock
Use the leaves to flavour the butter served with raw radishes. Simply wilt the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze to remove excess water. Use double the weight of butter to leaves. For example, for 40g of wilted greens, use 80g unsalted butter. Chop the greens very finely, or process them with soft butter until well blended. Taste and add a bit more butter if preferred. Serve chilled.
