Watermelon Radish Citrus Spinach Salad

Thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese are the perfect compliment to a simple spinach salad.  Keep an eye out for this beautiful, mild radish!

Watermelon Radish and Citrus Salad: thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese make a beautiful spring salad. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

I’ve been sitting on this beautiful recipe for several months now.  In fact, I made this back in October when we received a plethora of watermelon radishes from our CSA share with Greensgrow Farms.

This came right at the time when I went on my several month long posting hiatus.  I tried (and failed) to juggle a full time job, a dedicated gym schedule, and an active, attention-demanding 6 month old.  Something had to go, and it was food blogging.

But by the time I started to get things sorted out and was back to sharing recipe, watermelon radishes were nowhere to be found.  It seemed so wrong to bring you this amazing salad and say “but you’ll have to wait until spring to make it.”  I am delighted to report that watermelon radishes are back in the Philadelphia area, and it’s time to share this with you!

Watermelon Radish and Citrus Salad: thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese make a beautiful spring salad. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

First off — watermelon radish?  What’s that?

Watermelon radishes are an heirloom variety of daikon radishes.  They get their name from the green exterior and bright pink interior.  Watermelon radishes are quite large compared to regular radishes, and milder compared to their standard, smaller cousins.  They have a little sweetness paired with that characteristic radish bite.

Watermelon radishes favor cold soil and are found late fall through early spring.  (Although around here, it seems they are hard to come by during the depths of winter.) .

But!  Just last week, I have it on good authority that watermelon radishes are back and can be found at the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market.  Get thee to RTM ASAP and make this salad!

Watermelon Radish and Citrus Salad: thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese make a beautiful spring salad. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

Peppery radishes, sliced thin, paired with sweet and juicy clementines (sub in any other citrus!), candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese, drizzled with a simple shallot olive oil and vinegar dressing.

This a beautiful addition to your early-spring table (totally dinner party worthy!).  It’s also a unique combination of flavors that is sure to impress.  Beauty AND brains (flavor?), if you will.

We missed the boat for Easter (save for next year, perhaps?) but Passover is right around the corner.  I can’t think of a lovelier contribution to a Passover seder than a fresh, colorful, crisp salad.  It’s a perfect way to spice up all those bland matzoh-and-chicken based dishes (or is that just my family?!).

Watermelon Radish and Citrus Salad: thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese make a beautiful spring salad. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

I highly recommend a mandoline to slice the radishes.  The thinner the radishes, the better.  Ideally, a bite of this salad will contain a little of everything, and not just one bite of a thick radish.  This is the mandoline that I use {Amazon links are affiliate} and has served me well for the past 6.5 years.

Watermelon Radish Citrus Spinach Salad

Thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese are the perfect compliment to a simple spinach salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/8 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons peach balsamic vinegar (or any white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 10 ounces baby spinach, washed well
  • 3 watermelon radishes, sliced thinly
  • 3 clementines (or oranges, grapefruits, etc)
  • 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 tablespoons of minced chives

Directions:

  1. Start by preparing the candied walnuts.  Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the walnuts, sugar, and butter.  Heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely melted and all the nuts are coated.  Transfer the walnuts to a sheet of parchment paper and spread the nuts out into a single layer.  Set aside to cool and harden.
  2. Next, prepare the shallot dressing.  Add the minced shallot to a small bowl along with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Add the pinch of salt and stir to combine.  Set aside.
  3. Wash and dry the baby spinach. Place in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
  4. Slice the watermelon radishes thinly, either with a mandoline (preferred method) or by hand.  Arrange the watermelon radishes on top of the layer of baby spinach.
  5. Cut off the end of the clementines, squeezing any juice in the ends over the salad.  Using a sharp knife, remove the peel from the clementine and segment by cutting into the membrane between each slice.  Squeeze the remaining peel and membranes over the salad and add the clementines to the spinach and radishes.
  6. Scatter the candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese over the salad, followed by the shallot dressing.  Sprinkle the minced chives on the salad.
  7. Allow the salad to sit for a few minutes up to several hours before serving.

Recipe adapted from Alexandra Cooks

Watermelon Radish and Citrus Salad: thinly sliced watermelon radishes paired with winter citrus, candied walnuts, and tangy goat cheese make a beautiful spring salad. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}