Radishes offer a sharp, mustard-like "bite" to food. Some of my favorite radish applications?

-Chopped radish and romaine lettuce salad with creamy blue cheese
-Razor-thin radish slices as a garnish on any fish
-Hand-sliced radish as a base for a canapé with a savory, smoky fish mousse

At my local market, my favorite are the first spring radishes. I find them to be the most tender and easy to enjoy in raw preparations. As summer progresses, I like to roast them as well as enjoy them raw. There are several types of radishes that differ from the red-skinned radish that adorns our supermarket shelves...


Easter Egg Radishes: In my local market, they are available in pink and a slight purple color, as well as red. They are not only beautiful, but delicious. I love to mix the colors and roast them whole. Roasting the radishes mellows the "heat" of their flavor and leaves room to enjoy the sweetness that lurks underneath. Since most of the "heat" resides in the skin, peel them if you want to enjoy them raw, but mellower.

Daikon Radish: Daikons are far milder than red radishes. They can grow to be quite large and resemble a thick cucumber. They must be peeled because the skin is tough like a turnip. For this reason, I add them to slaws or fresh fruit, like apple or pear. I have even mixed them with fresh peaches. I also love them cooked. Sauté a few summer onions and add some wedges of peeled Daikon. Cook until both are tender. A sprinkle of vinegar and your side dish is complete.   

Icicle Radish: Icicle radishes look like miniature Daikon radishes. They are delicious peeled and shaved raw into a salad. I love them with chunks of cold watermelon. I also use them like a fresh, mild form of horseradish by pickling them lightly and eating with oysters or clams.

Breakfast Radish: They're also known as French Breakfast radishes or D'Avignon radishes. Their skin is a rich red that tapers off to white just before the end tip. They are perfect for crudité platters. Enjoy them raw with a dairy-based dip, such as herbed crème fraîche or yogurt flavored with paprika and some fresh cilantro.
 
Watermelon Radish: This is the most beautiful radish you will ever see, but all of the beauty is hidden under the skin! It looks like a turnip until you peel it to reveal the deep, pink hue of the flesh. Watermelon radishes are sweeter and milder that red-skinned radishes. Slice and use them raw as a magnificent garnish for almost anything. They're especially wonderful as a garnish for a salad with an acidic dressing because as they acidulate, their flesh becomes even more intensely colored and their "sweet" side becomes more pronounced.