if you go deep back into the early blog years circa twenty-eleven, you will find an energetic young home cook who had no real idea what she was doing. but i had time, stamina and enthusiasm!

back then, SO MANY ingredients were new and inspiring. and one of my main routines with my roommate lish was to go work out at the original yas fitness center on abbott kinney in venice and then down to lemonade on the way home for a cafeteria style dose of deliciousness for dinner. right then and there is where my love affair with watermelon radishes began. there are some really beautiful ingredients out there, but a watermelon radish is next level. a well grown watermelom radish has such a vibrant color pink center with an almost neon green outer skin. basically i could stare at them and spend hours taking pictures of them. if you have seen my insta lately, you've seen the evidence.

they are seasonal, but around now you should be able to ask your produce guy if they have them or if they can get you some. they are worth it. less spicy than a standard radish, but pack an amazing flavor. they are amazing on a veggie platter with dip, roasted, or like i'm doing them in this recipe today, pickled.

if you can't find any watermelon radish, or it is out of season where you are, you can sub in beets or other radish you can find.

crispy shallot & pickled watermelon radish salad

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1 watermelon radish (if subbing 1 beet or 4 smaller radish). 2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced. 8 cups mixed greens. 1 tbs black sesame seeds. .5 cup avocado oil (if you don't have any avocado, you could sub olive oil). 2 tbs sesame oil. 1 cup apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs soy sauce. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tsp honey. mandolin optional.

start by pealing and slicing your radish down the center. use where the leaves used to be (or in some cases still are) as your center line to cut down.

then slice each half into thin pieces. eighth of an inch or less. this is where a mandolin really comes in handy. i highly recommend getting one on amazon.

place your radish slices in a jar or medium bowl, season with half the salt and pour the apple cider vinegar over them. every few minutes, give them a stir so that they are equally pickled.

pour 2 tbs of avocado oil in a pan and heat over medium high heat until the oil is shiny and very hot. you can add one in to test the oil to make sure it is hot enough. make sure the test shallot starts to sizzle. add in the shallots and using a wooden spoon, spread them evenly over the bottom of the pan. season with half the remaining salt. allow them to crisp and brown. stirring every minute to make sure they don't burn. it should take 3-5 minutes.

while your shallots are frying up, combine the remaining avocado oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey in a jar or small bowl. pour in .25 cup of the pickling vinegar from the radish and whisk it all up till well combined.

when your shallots are done, remove them onto a paper towel so the excess oil is dried off.

place your greens in a large bowl or on a platter. season the greens with the remaining salt and add in the sesame seeds.

drizzle the dressing over the greens in little spoon fulls. be careful not to over dress. there should be a little dressing left over (lucky you, you get to use it again!).

top with pickled radish and serve.

xo, a

crispy shallot & pickled watermelon radish salad

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1 watermelon radish (if subbing 1 beet or 4 smaller radish). 2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced. 8 cups mixed greens. 1 tbs black sesame seeds. .5 cup avocado oil (if you don't have any avocado, you could sub olive oil). 2 tbs sesame oil. 1 cup apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs soy sauce. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tsp honey. mandolin optional.

start by pealing and slicing your radish down the center. use where the leaves used to be (or in some cases still are) as your center line to cut down. then slice each half into thin pieces. eighth of an inch or less. this is where a mandolin really comes in handy. i highly recommend getting one on amazon. place your radish slices in a jar or medium bowl, season with half the salt and pour the apple cider vinegar over them. every few minutes, give them a stir so that they are equally pickled. pour 2 tbs of avocado oil in a pan and heat over medium high heat until the oil is shiny and very hot. you can add one in to test the oil to make sure it is hot enough. make sure the test shallot starts to sizzle. add in the shallots and using a wooden spoon, spread them evenly over the bottom of the pan. season with half the remaining salt. allow them to crisp and brown. stirring every minute to make sure they don't burn. it should take 3-5 minutes. while your shallots are frying up, combine the remaining avocado oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey in a jar or small bowl. pour in .25 cup of the pickling vinegar from the radish and whisk it all up till well combined. when your shallots are done, remove them onto a paper towel so the excess oil is dried off. place your greens in a large bowl or on a platter. season the greens with the remaining salt and add in the sesame seeds. drizzle the dressing over the greens in little spoon fulls. be careful not to over dress. there should be a little dressing left over (lucky you, you get to use it again!). top with pickled radish and serve.