Pickled Radishes Without Sugar

What Vinegar for Pickles?

The sort of vinegar you use for pickling radishes changes completely the quality of flavor. Try to use the best quality you can find and avoid the cheapest supermarket brands that are more appropriate for cleaning. 

Apple cider vinegar is good, as is white wine or white balsamic vinegar (or a mix of both). If you're in France, the best vinegar is le vinaigre d'Orléans, used since 1797 - and a favourite of Alexandre Dumas. 

Vinegar Pickles and Lacto Fermented Pickles

In this quick recipe, like we find in our pickled cornichon/gherkin jars in supermarkets, we're using vinegar as an acid rather than going the lacto-fermented pickle route.

Lacto-fermentation is created by the mix of natural sugar in the vegetables combined with just salt and water to create lactic acid over time.
The difference is that it uses only cold water, salt (brine), no cooking and a much longer pickling time of at least a month, whereas vinegar pickles can be eaten next day.

What is a Good Substitute for Sugar in Pickles?

If not using sugar in your pickles, then the substitute isn't sweetener if you want them to be healthy. The best substitute is salt.

As Raphaël Haumont says for lacto-fermented pickles, it should contain the equivalent amount of salt as the sea in order to ferment in the jar. This is 20-30g (about 2 tbsp) of salt per litre so this is the equivalent of a teaspoon (4g) for a jar of 175ml (¾ cup) of liquid. Although using vinegar, I like to use this too.

How to Pickle Radishes: Ingredients

To pickle radishes, you need few ingredients:

• radishes - I use small pink radishes (whole or cut in half if slightly bigger), but Daikon is also good, thinly sliced with a knife or a mandoline.
• white vinegar - white/rosé wine vinegar, cidre or white balsamic. I used half each of wine vinegar and balsamic.
• water - an option if you prefer a slightly lighter flavour. This is boiled together with the vinegar
• salt
• spices and herbs - usually a mix of bay leaves, a few coriander or mustard seeds, black peppercorns or Juniper berries. After boiling the liquid, you could also add a peeled whole garlic clove and a sprig of thyme, or a dried or fresh chilli, according to taste.

Boil together the vinegar, water, salt, spices and bay leaf (or use 2) in a small saucepan, then leave to cool. Fill the sterlised jar with radishes nearly to the top (with a little gap 1cm to spare) then pour over the cooled liquid. Add extra herbs - and spices as you wish - then seal. Leave for at least a day to pickle, if they're sliced.

Using this method, it's easy to also pickle sliced beetroot, small florets of cauliflower, sliced red onions and sliced cabbage.

Quick Pickled Whole Radishes

If pickled whole, they will take at least a day longer to pickle. Ideally, wait for 3 days. However, if you prefer a more pickled taste, slice radishes thinly or at least cut them in half.

Whole radishes also need a bit more brine, so use a slightly larger jar or pack them tightly so they're fully submerged.

How Long do Pickled Radishes Last?

Pickled radishes can be eaten as soon as next day but they taste more pickled in the vinegar after 2-3 days. Personally, I prefer them at least a week later.

The longer they keep, the stronger in flavour they'll be.
A note on their smell: I was wary at first, as had heard pickled radish had an overpowering smell. Frankly, I didn't get that at all until 6 weeks later. Perhaps it's because I used a mixture of white balsamic and white wine vinegar which is less harsh than brut alcoholic vinegar (I use this for cleaning!) or malt vinegar.

They can keep for up to 6 months in the fridge. Once opened, ensure the radishes are always covered in the brine liquid. Don't be tempted to grab pickles with your fingers. To conserve better, use a spoon to lift them out of the jar.

How to Sterlise your Pickling Jars

You'll first need to sterilise your pickling jar(s). Do do this, here are 3 options:

• leave in boiling water for 10 minutes
• bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 100°C/215°F
• steam them (I put them at the highest temperature in the dishwasher)

What to Do with Quick Pickled Radishes

Pickled radishes are great accompaniments to all sorts of delicious savoury foods. For example, serve with

• a charcuterie plate or board of cured meats or cold roasted meats.
• grilled or roast chicken dish. Excellent with Korean BBQ chicken; thanks to my friend, Christina Conte for introducing me to this in California! Try her delicious Korean recipes such as mung bean pancakes and Korean barbequed beef (Bulgogi).
• a slice of pâté, in place of traditional French cornichons or gherkins.
• Replace gherkins and use them finely chopped in homemade tartar sauce.
• With croque monsieur or avocado toast.
• in salads - delicious with a simple green salad, like in my lunch photo above.
  Enjoy adding a few to a salade de chèvre chaud or Niçoise salad.