Swap chilli heat for peppery radish in this colourful Radish and Lime Salsa.
It’s no secret that I love Mexican food but creating a taco bar or fajitta feast involves a fair amount of forward planning and quite a bit of time in the kitchen. If I’m going to make Mexican for dinner then I’ll probably have 2 or 3 dishes to add to the table including some sort of slow cooked meat, spicy beans and vegetables, as well as a salsa, slaw or gucamole.
I invited my folks over for dinner a few weekends ago and wanted to cook them something they wouldn’t ordinarily make for themselves. I cooked a large pot of my Beef Barbacoa, bought a selection of hard taco shells, corn tortillas and flour tortillas, made my famous Mexican Slaw (which I promise I will put on the blog soon) and made zingy salsa.
Love Mexican food? Check out my top tips for hosting a pinata party complete with taco bar!
Salsa, the perfect side dish
A classic tomato salsa is a wonderful thing but I wanted to do something a little bit different. I love fruity salsas and have made them with both mango and pineapple in the past. Even oranges work quite well. But I didn’t want to go down that route.
My parents do like spicy food, but I didn’t want the meal to completely blow their heads off. There was a fair amount of spice in the beef and I put homemade jalapenos on the table too. After a good hard think I decided to make a salsa that was packed full of more mellow peppery heat rather than the blistering heat of a fresh red or green chilli.
Now I don’t know just how authentic it is to include radishes in Mexican dishes but ever since creating these Mexican Pickles I’ve loved the pepper and crunch that radishes add. I also find that they cut through the fattiness of the meat really really well. Doesn’t the bright pink colour just look fab too!?
I made this salsa in advance because I think the flavours meld together so much better if they’ve been given some time to soak in. It’s especially important that the salt has time to draw some of the moisture and flavour out of the tomatoes. You can let the tomatoes sit in the salt for an hour or so before adding the rest of the ingredients if you want to really up the flavour stakes.
If you like this recipe you’ll love my Tequila Salsa (not for kids!) Click here for the recipe!
The recipe
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
- Large pinch of salt
- 1 bunch spring onions
- Piece of cucumber roughly 4-5 inches long
- 10 radishes
- Juice of 2 limes
- Fresh coriander
Instructions
- Begin by dicing the cherry tomatoes and add to a bowl along with all of their juices and a healthy pinch of salt.
- Give the tomatoes a good stir with the salt and leave them to sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Finely slices the spring onions using the white and green part of the onions for a variety of textures and onion heat.
- Dice the cucumber finely, avoiding too much of the watery centre.
- Slice the radishes as thinly as you can then add to the tomatoes along with the spring onions and cucumber.
- Add the lime juice and stir well.
- Leave to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Immediately before serving add in a generous handful of fresh coriander leaves.
I think this salsa may well be my new favourite! It’s got tonnes of flavour but isn’t too spicy which makes it a real crowd pleaser. It also look stunning even if I do say so myself!
As with most salsa recipes, it may sound like there’s a lot of acidity and salt in here but that all helps to bring out the flavours of the vegetables. Go with it and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Serve with…
Now you’ve got the Radish and Lime Salsa nailed, you’re going to need to perfect the beef for the tacos. And why not pour yourself a Mango Margarita while you’re at it…Enjoy!
I love this post so much. I love to cook and experiment with new dishes so I’ll try this one out. Looks absolutely yummy.
Dominika
I love the look of your salsa. Radishes are really underused and undervalued as an ingredient. I can just imagine how tasty this salsa must be and will certainly add it to my table next time I’m having a Mexican feast!
Yay! I’m glad you like it Janice. I think radishes can be one of those love/hate veggies but I think that’s because they are often just chucked into salads as a bit of an afterthought.
I love Mexican food and especially if I have all the trimmings when I make tacos or fajitas! Guacamole and salsa are a must and although I have never used radishes in salsa before I do love them in quick pickles. Pinned to try!
I never quite know what to do with Radishes so this is a great idea and fab combo of sweet, sour and spicy flavours.
The radish salsa sounds great. Something different and flavorful.
This looks simply delicious! I love radishes with Mexican food and I know my family will love this salsa!
I don’t know why I didn’t add radishes sooner! 🙂
Such a perfect dish for the heat of the summer.
This looks delicious! I’m always on the look out for new salsa recipes!
I have extra cherry tomatoes on hand from my CSA, and extra corn tortillas from last week’s taco night! I just looooove salsa, and this one is so pretty!
Jeni, it was meant to be 😛
Love it!! It looks super fresh and delicious. Salads are like my favorite thing to eat all year long. 🙂
This salsa is like a rainbow in a bowl! Love the crunchy veg — and you don’t see radishes used that often. I love their peppery bite!
I should definitely use radhishes more often too. We all know colourful food is the best for us and I love their vibrant pink coats 😀
I love everything about this colorful crunchy salsa! Delicious!
All of my favorite and fresh ingredients mixed together! Now that is delicious!