Pickled Radishes Without Sugar

Pickled radishes are quick to make, they're good for you, cheap and cheerful plus make a great addition to so many savoury foods. This healthy recipe contains no sugar.

So grab a bunch of blushing pink or red radishes and find a spare jar. Made with small pink or red radishes, either pickle them whole or cut them in half. Also works well with Daikon radish.

Are Pickled Radishes Healthy?

It depends how they're prepared but in this recipe, as the vegetables are not cooked, pickled radish still contains its original vitamins (mainly C and K) and minerals (potassium).

According to French biochemist, Jessie Inchauspé (known as the 'Glucose Goddess'), pickles have great benefits to help control and lower blood sugar levels.

Scientific studies have shown us that drinking a tablespoon of vinegar before something starchy can reduce the (glucose) spike. Pickles also work; 10 pickled radishes will give you the same amount of vinegar and be more delicious.

Jessie Inchauspé (the Glucose Goddess)

Is Sugar Necessary for Pickling?

Most pickling recipes call for sugar but I wanted to discover if it was really necessary. I first found a similar recipe in a recent French Breton magazine but found it contained a whopping amount of sugar. After first experimenting with reduced sugar, I'm now happy to say these pickles are so good without it.

Thanks to my French food scientist friend, Raphaël Haumont, he claims sugar is not necessary to pickle vegetables. Even in my gastronomic Larousse dictionary, they don't include sugar in the ingredients to make pickles. However, you can pickle without sugar but not without salt.

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 - here I used small pink radish, but Daikon is also good, thinly sliced.
• 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, 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 leaves 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 and leave for at least a day to pickle.

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.

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 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. Excellent with Korean BBQ chicken; thanks to my friend, Christina Conte for introducing me to this in California! Try her delicious authentic 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.
• 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.