Over the holidays, Ada Broussard served a beautiful salad featuring 4 or 5 different kinds of thinly sliced radishes, a smattering of herbs, olive oil, lemon juice and flaky sea salt. This is an ode to Ada’s salad, with a fun tip: giving radishes 5-10 minute bath in ice water will cause them to ruffle up so they get extra crunchy. I use the radishes-in-ice-bath trick any time am eating thinly sliced radishes (hello tacos, posole!), ice in the freezer and a few extra minutes to spare. Dry cold crunchy radishes on a towel before serving.

I think Ada would agree with me, that the key to a show-stopping radish salad is a selection of as many types of radishes as you can find. The one in the picture features purple daikon radishes, watermelon radishes, and plain ol’ red radishes that may or may not go by another name. French breakfast radishes would also be tasty and beautiful here.

As far as how to dress your multi-radish salad, opt for a high-quality olive oil and flaky salt, then use whatever you have on hand for the finishing touches. Acid in the form of citrus, vinegar or pickle juice all work well, and mint is my favorite herb to balance the spice of the radish, but other soft herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill or tarragon are also excellent here. And hey, a drizzle of honey never hurt anyone! Use what you have and don’t think twice. Make a point to take in the intricate beauty will find when you stare into the cross section of each slice of radish. Nature is a trip!

Photos by Mackenzie Smith Kelley