Radish and Asparagus Salad

Summer salads are one of my favorite go-to dishes, especially if I can make them ahead of time and add a protein to make it a complete meal. While the summer garden is plentiful, there is one ingredient I’ve always struggled with – radishes. They are easy to grow and I typically enjoy root vegetables, but the spiciness of a raw radish has never appealed to me, until now.

This Radish and Asparagus Salad combines thinly sliced raw radishes that still have that spicy flavor with larger pieces of roasted radishes, which are sweeter and bit more mellow in flavor. That combination seems to work well. Add some blanched asparagus, toasted pine nuts, garbanzo beans, capers and shaved Parmesan, and you have deliciousness on a fork. Not to mention the lemon-based dressing that really complements all the flavors.

Prepping the Ingredients

Take the top greens off the radishes and, using a 4″ Vegetable Knife, slice off both ends. Rinse them in water to ensure no dirt is left on the vegetables. To thinly slice the radishes, place one on the flat end that was cut off and slowly cut off slices. View this How To Slice a Radish video for a step-by-step tutorial.

To quarter the radishes, again remove the green tops and slice off both ends, running them through water to remove any remaining dirt. Use a 4″ Vegetable Knife to slice the radish in half and then quarters.

After trimming the ends of the asparagus, place the stalks into a pot of boiling water and cook for approximately two minutes (until bright green). Remove the asparagus and immediately place into a bowl of cold water with ice cubes. This technique is called blanching and it stops the cooking process so the asparagus is bright green and slightly crunchy. Once it is cool, remove from the water and, using a 4″ Vegetable Knife, cut each stalk on the bias.

Take a handful of parsley leaves and use a 7-5/8″ Petite Chef to roughly chop it.

Making the Salad

Start by making the dressing, which requires one small garlic clove to be minced. Use a 7″ Santoku knife to slice the garlic and then mince.

Using a Mix-Stir, blend all of the ingredients together, minus the olive oil. Once the dressing ingredients are thoroughly combined, slowly add the olive oil while mixing until it’s fully incorporated. Set aside.

Put the quartered radishes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, using your hands to mix ensuring they are all coated in oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to roast in a 450 F oven for approximately 12 minutes or until they are softened but still have some crunch. Remove from the oven and allow the radishes to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together the roasted radishes, asparagus, sliced radishes, garbanzo beans, pine nuts, capers, parsley and Parmesan. Drizzle a small amount of dressing over the salad and toss. Add more dressing until the vegetables are lightly coated. If needed salt and pepper can be added to the salad. Serve at room temperature and consider adding a piece of grilled chicken to make it a meal.

As I mentioned, I’ve never been a huge fan of radishes, but this Radish and Asparagus Salad has won me over. So many flavors combine in each forkful and it’s a wonderfully light and fresh summer salad to end the day. Give it a try and you may just find yourself planting radishes in your garden.