Radish salad with crème fraîche and walnuts

A fresh, crisp salad of paper-thin sliced black radish with creamy crème fraîche, toasted walnuts and a hint of tarragon or chervil. Delicious as a small starter or as a side dish with fish, poultry or a rich main course.

Serves: 4 (small starter/side dish)
Preparation: approx. 15 minutes
Cooking: approx. 5 minutes (toasting walnuts)
Total time: approx. 20 minutes

Ingredients

• approx. 300 g black radish
• 3 tablespoons crème fraîche
• 30 g walnuts (about 1 handful)
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice, a little more to taste
• 1–2 teaspoons fresh tarragon or chervil
• ½ teaspoon fleur de sel, or to taste
• white pepper
• 1 teaspoon walnut oil or mild olive oil
• extra: fine salt (to briefly salt the black radish)

Preparation

• Slice and salt the black radish
  Peel the black radish. Slice the black radish paper-thin; a mandoline gives the best and most even result. Put the slices in a large bowl or dish, sprinkle with a small pinch of fine salt and toss briefly. Leave for 5–10 minutes so the sharpness mellows slightly. Then pat the slices dry carefully with kitchen paper.
• Toast the walnuts
  Roughly chop the walnuts. Toast them in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat until they start to smell fragrant and lightly colour. Tip out of the pan and leave to cool so they stay crisp.
• Prepare the herbs
  Finely chop the tarragon or chervil. Use a modest amount: the herb should provide subtle support.

Method

1. Make the dressing
   Put the crème fraîche in a large bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and, if using, add the walnut oil or mild olive oil. Season with a small pinch of fleur de sel and some freshly ground white pepper. Taste and adjust if needed with a little extra lemon juice or pepper.
2. Mix the black radish with the dressing
   Add the well-dried slices of black radish to the bowl with the dressing. Gently toss so all the slices are lightly coated with the crème fraîche, while keeping their shape and crispness.
3. Add walnuts and herbs
   Fold the toasted walnuts through the salad and keep a small portion aside for finishing. Finally, mix in most of the finely chopped tarragon or chervil.
4. Finish the salad
   Spoon the black radish salad onto a platter or into small plates. Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts, a little extra finely chopped tarragon or chervil and, if needed, a little more fleur de sel and a twist of white pepper.
5. Serve the salad
   Serve the black radish salad straight away, while the black radish is still nicely crisp.