Monday, December 5, 2011

Watermelon radish chips

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I was telling a new friend the other night that even after 15 years in California, I'm still thrilled and amazed that food grows so easily on trees in people's backyards.

California produce amazes me in general, actually. An hour at my local farmers' market is a religious experience. The colors, the shapes, the anticipation of something wonderful and healthy on my dinner plate - I'm brought to my knees.


The watermelon radish is one of those vegetables I'd never seen before moving to southern California. It's light green on the outside, magenta inside, with the crisp bitter heat of its radish brethren. I've seen watermelon radishes smaller than golf balls and bigger than tennis balls. Just depends on how patient the grower is.


I've served watermelon radishes raw, sliced in thin disks or small batons for snacking. I've tossed grated watermelon radishes with lemon juice and olive oil for watermelon radish salad. I've even sauteed them in butter, which tames the heat and makes for a nice side dish.

I don't deep-fry often, but when I do it's to make small batches of chips. Watermelon radishes fry up crisp and gorgeous. As you can see, magenta is a hard color to kill, even with boiling oil.


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Watermelon radish chips
Thin slices of crisp radish deep-fried, then sprinkled with sea salt: There's no better snack. Look for exotic watermelon radishes at your local farmers' market or specialty grocer (you might have to ask).
Ingredients
  • 4-6 cups grapeseed or canola oil, for deep frying
  • 1 pound watermelon radishes, scrubbed well (do not peel)
  • sea salt
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil to 325 degrees (a deep-fry thermometer clipped to the side of the pan is a helpful tool). You want the oil to be a few inches deep, with plenty of room for things to bubble up without spilling over as you drop in the chips.While the oil is heating, slice the watermelon radishes thinly. If your knife skills are good enough to do this by hand, congratulations. Mine are not, so I use a hand-held mandoline. Line a plate with several layers of paper towel.Test the temperature of the oil by adding one slice of radish to the pot. It should bubble aggressively and be golden brown in less than a minute. If this is the case, remove the test chip and flip it onto the paper towel to drain. Add a handful of chips, making sure to separate them as they go into the pot so they don't stick together. Turn them over as the edges brown, then take them out and drain them on the paper towel.Continue in a similar fashion until all the chips are used up. Sprinkle them with a tiny bit of salt every few batches, but be careful not to overdo it. You want to salt them when they're hot.Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings

12 comments:

barbara l. hale said...

I love radishes but have never had one cooked. Those look great! The watermelon radish is a feast for the eye, too.

Emily said...

These look delicious! I am heading into finals right now and I'm always on the lookout for new snacks to bring to the library with me...

Katie @ saltpig canteen said...

These look too pretty to eat! I don't think we have watermelon radishes over here so wondering if there are any substitutes...

Erika Kerekes said...

Katie - I think you could fry just about any hard root vegetable - try kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga....

emma. our kitchen said...

Wow! I am not sure that I have ever seen watermelon radishes before - they are beautiful!
Merry Christmas!
Emma

Dena said...

Wow. You make me want to move to California. Beautiful.

Erika Kerekes said...

Dena - that's my goal - fill up the state with my friends!

Emma - happy holidays to you too!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made the chips today with my children. The radishes were amazing.

Erika Kerekes said...

Donna, I'm so glad you liked them! Did you have trouble finding watermelon radishes? Where did you buy them?

Unknown said...

I'm growing these in my garden. Located in the Coastal Bend of Texas. So pretty. Was looking for other ways to use them. Thanks for the idea.

Unknown said...

I'm growing these in my garden. Located in the Coastal Bend of Texas. So pretty. Was looking for other ways to use them. Thanks for the idea.

Laurie Neal said...

Thank you Erika. Bought my first one yesterday at the Santa Rosa, CA farmers market. What a beautiful root vegetable. BF loved the chips, as did I. These will be in my garden as soon as possible. They look like orchid blossoms when fried.

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