Radish Salad with the Thermomix®

Radish salad from the Thermomix® is our go-to side dish whenever we need something crisp and quick to serve alongside grilled food. The salt-and-drain method is what separates a watery salad from a crunchy one.

We have made this salad hundreds of times and observed precisely when it loses its texture and when it holds together. The 5-minute draining time is not a suggestion; it is a physical necessity.

Why salting and draining are not optional

Radishes are 95% water. As soon as they are chopped, the cell walls break open. If you add the dressing straight away, the salt in the dressing draws even more liquid out of the radish pieces. After 10 minutes the salad is sitting in a watery puddle.

Our method reverses that: blend the radishes with 1 tsp of salt, then immediately tip into a sieve and leave to drain for 5 minutes. The salt draws out the liquid before the dressing goes in. The radish pieces become firmer, not softer. The excess water runs off and the crisp texture is preserved.

Speed 5 for 5 seconds gives the right size

The size of the radish pieces determines how quickly water escapes and how much bite the salad retains. We chop on speed 5 for exactly 5 seconds. This produces pieces between 2 and 4 mm. Larger, and the radishes stay watery inside. Smaller, and they turn mushy.

At speed 4 too many large pieces remain. At speed 6 some pieces become too fine. Speed 5 is the balance at which most pieces are evenly sized. Five seconds is enough because radishes are soft and chop quickly.

Reverse direction prevents foam in the dressing

The dressing of yoghurt, apple cider vinegar and rapeseed oil is mixed for 8 seconds / reverse direction / speed 4. Reverse direction stirs without whipping in air. Without reverse direction the blade beats air into the yoghurt, the dressing turns foamy and looks like whipped cream. That does not suit a clean radish salad.

Eight seconds is enough to distribute everything evenly. Running it longer does not improve the dressing; it only warms it up. The chives are cut by hand and folded in after mixing so they are not reduced to a puree.

Apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar

We use apple cider vinegar because it is milder than white wine vinegar and does not mask the peppery flavour of the radishes. White wine vinegar makes the salad too sharp. Balsamic vinegar colours the radishes brown and does not work flavour-wise. Apple cider vinegar adds a gentle fruitiness without becoming dominant.

The 10 g of apple cider vinegar together with 10 g of rapeseed oil make a balanced vinaigrette. More oil makes the salad too rich; more vinegar makes it too sharp. The 10 g of yoghurt bind the dressing and add a light creaminess without weighing the salad down.

Chives add freshness without overpowering the pepperiness

A quarter of a bunch of chives is enough for 4 servings. More becomes too dominant; less disappears flavour-wise. The chives are cut into fine rings and folded in right at the end so they are not crushed. In the Thermomix® they would turn to a paste; cut by hand they stay visible as green flecks.

Parsley does not work because it turns bitter. Dill is too intense. Chives are mild enough not to drown out the radishes, yet strong enough to be noticeable.

Drain once more just before serving

If the salad sits for longer than 15 minutes, the salt in the dressing continues to draw water out of the radishes. In that case, tip it briefly into a sieve again and pour off the liquid before serving. This takes 30 seconds and prevents the salad arriving at the table diluted.

Longer than 2 hours in the fridge does not work. The radishes go soft and lose their pepperiness. This salad is meant for eating straight away, not for meal prep. If you want to prepare it in advance, get the radishes ready and add the dressing only shortly before serving.

Goes well with: Jacket potatoes.

More recipes with fresh herbs: herb quark, wild garlic pesto, tzatziki.