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Can you make salsa with…radishes? Absolutely! Throw this zesty lime radish salsa on tacos and it puts them over the top.
You can never have too many taco recipes, right? Over here, tacos are one of our favorite weeknight dinners because they’re so simple and versatile. We’ve made tacos with just about everything, from lentils to scrambled eggs. Today, we’ve got a phenomenal taco topper: radish salsa! It comes together in just minutes and adds big flavor to all your favorite taco recipes. Here it tops a quick black bean taco recipe that’s an incredibly tasty fast meal!
Related: Black Bean and Corn Salsa | Best Salsa Recipe | Black Bean Salsa
How to make radish salsa
Alex and I harvested our first garden radishes the other day, and I stumbled upon a fish tacos recipe served with a spicy radish salad. Which got us to thinking…can you make radish salsa? We couldn’t resist giving it a try for a dinner with our friend Annie. She was more than happy to try a new taco variation, and we were delighted by the result.
The tangy radish salsa is a refreshing and unique flavor to compliment the black beans and feta. It came together quickly, and was a delightful way to share a meal together. How to make radish salsa? It’s very easy. Here are the main steps (see the recipe below for more):
- Thinly slice and quarter the radishes. Thinly slice the green onions. Chop the cilantro.
- Seed and dice the jalapeño pepper. You can use as much pepper as you’d like: half for a mild salsa, or more for a spicier variation.
- In a bowl, mix the cilantro with radishes, green onions, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Serve within 10 minutes, or stir together directly before serving!
That’s it! Note that the radish salsa can become watery as it sits, so it’s best served about 10 minutes you mix it together. Use a slotted spoon when serving the salsa to strain out any additional liquid.) Or, you can chop all the ingredients the night before and keep them refrigerated: then add the lime juice and olive oil before serving.
Serve with black bean tacos
These black bean tacos use a riff on our favorite way to make black beans. The trick is using the can liquid of the black beans to create a creamy sauce to coat the beans! First, saute some minced garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, then add the black beans and can liquid along with several sprigs of cilantro.
All you have to do is simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid condenses. What results is a seriously flavorful pot of black beans! We’ve been using this method for years, starting with this Tofu Scramble with Black Beans and more recently in our Quick Beans and Eggs.
Combine those black beans with the radish salsa and a bit of feta cheese, and you’ve got one delicious black bean taco! And our last tip for next level tacos: char the tortillas! Place them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. This not only heats the tortilla, but gives it an irresistible charred flavor.
More radish recipes
Do you love radishes? Here are a few more easy radish recipes to use up the bunch:
- Roasted Radishes Throw radishes into a hot oven in this unique easy side dish recipe: they come out vibrant and juicy, with a sweet, mild flavor!
- Simple Radish Salad Quick, fresh and delicious, pairing chickpeas and herbs with this crunchy veggie!
- Radish Toasts This radish toast recipe is a simple, yet elegant breakfast or brunch option that takes just 5 minutes to make.
- Radishes with Butter and Salt Here’s a traditional elegant French snack: radishes with butter and salt. Use the highest quality butter and sea salt to make the radishes shine!
This radish salsa recipe is…
Vegetarian, and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the feta cheese — consider using Cashew Cream or Creamy Cilantro Sauce instead.
Radish Salsa Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 (12 small tacos) 1x
Description
Can you make salsa with…radishes? Absolutely! Throw this zesty lime radish salsa on tacos and it puts them over the top.
Ingredients
For the radish salsa
- 1 bunch radishes (about 12 radishes)
- 4 green onions
- ½ to 1 jalapeño pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the black bean tacos
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Torn cilantro leaves, for serving
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 12 small corn tortillas
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
- For the radish salsa: Thinly slice and quarter the radishes. Thinly slice the green onions. Seed and dice the jalapeño pepper (taking the necessary precautions to keep the juice away from the eyes). Use ½ pepper for a mild salsa, and more for a spicier variation. Chop the cilantro. Mix the cilantro with radishes, green onions, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. (*Note: The radish salsa can become watery as it sits, so it’s best served about 10 minutes after preparation. Use a slotted spoon when serving the salsa to strain out any additional liquid.)
- For the black beans: Mince the garlic. In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and barely starting to brown. Add the black beans along with the can liquid (add ¼ cup water if using beans without liquid), several sprigs of cilantro, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes until the liquid condenses.
- Char the tortillas: If desired, char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. (See How to Warm Tortillas.)
- To serve, place the beans in the middle of a tortilla, top with radish salsa, feta cheese crumbles, and cilantro.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Looking for more vegan & vegetarian tacos?
Outside of these black bean tacos, here are a few of our favorite vegan and vegetarian tacos recipes:
- Loaded Quinoa Tacos
- Instant Pot Tacos with Smoky Lentils
- Grilled Mango Tacos with Dream Sauce
- Chickpea & Veggie Tacos
- “Verde” Lentil Vegan Tacos
- Spiced Chickpea Tacos with Avocado Cream
- Refried Bean Tacos
- BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- Carrot & Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro Yogurt
- Easy Tofu Tacos
- Loaded Huevos Rancheros Tacos
- Vegetarian Lentil Tacos
- Easy Cauliflower Tacos
Last updated: January 2020
I would love to hear more comments about the actual recipe.
2 people made this?
I was just eating these for lunch (I make them at least once a week) and can legitimately say the act of eating my delish little taco made me genuinely happy. Thank you guys!
This is great! Thanks for writing :)
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a wonderful Monday!
These are delicious! Very fresh and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey
I am guessing that you are near one of the neighborhoods you sent us to last week. The Holy Rosary neighborhood by Bluebeard was cool and Broad Ripple is awesome. Didn’t get to Recess but was shopping at Fresh Market. Best of luck in the new place.
Indy is a really nice city. We climbed to the top of the war memorial downtown then had frozen yogurt at Pearings to cool off!
Thanks for your help.
So glad you enjoyed Indy! We are passionate about our city and are so happy when others love it too :) Yes, we’re in the Broad Ripple area. Thanks, and hope you make it back sometime!
these tacos look great, congrats on the new house and future family
Congratulations! I’m going to check out your Pinterest now :)
Great! We’re grateful for Pinterest in this endeavor – it’s given us so many great ideas!
Congratulations, guys! Dreaming dreams together and watching them happen is so fun. Can’t wait to hear more!
Thank you, Shanna! We can’t wait to share more. You’ll have to come visit once we’re in!