Food and Recipes Dish Salad Warm Radish-and-Potato Salad with Smoked Trout and Radish Leaf-and-Mint Pesto Recipe Be the first to rate & review! This elegant warm radish-and-potato salad makes a fancy first course, or a light lunch when served with crusty bread and butter on the side. Instead of a vinaigrette, the salad is dressed with a bright and zingy pesto made with radish greens and fresh mint leaves. If your radishes don't have greens or if there aren't enough for this recipe, substitute or supplement with watercress or baby arugula. Rinse the radish greens in cool water to remove any grit. We love how the pesto tastes with the hot smoked trout (or salmon), but you can replace the fish with grilled shrimp, hard-cooked eggs, or shredded chicken if you prefer. Round red radishes work well in this recipe, but you can find many other varieties of these root vegetables at the farmers' market, such as rainbow radishes or white icicle. Experiment with different types of radishes and discover a new favorite. By Sheri Castle Sheri Castle Sheri Castle is an award-winning professional food writer, recipe developer, and cooking teacher known for melding storytelling and culinary expertise. The Southern Foodways Alliance named her one of Twenty Southern Food Legends in 2019. She's written more than a dozen cookbooks, and her favorite is The New Southern Garden Cookbook. Sheri is a Contributing Editor for Southern Living and writes regularly for a number of media outlets. Her new cooking show will debut on PBS NC in 2021. Sheri hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains and now lives in Fearrington Village, North Carolina, with spoiled pets. Check out shericastle.com. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 21, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 50 mins Yield: 4 serves Ingredients Radishes 1 pound small round radishes with greens attached Pesto 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup) 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds 1 medium garlic clove 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 large lemon) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed Salad 1 pound multicolored baby new potatoes 8 medium garlic cloves 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 8 ounces hot-smoked trout or salmon, skin removed and discarded, fish broken into large pieces 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/2 cup) 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves 1 small shallot, cut into thin rounds (about 1/4 cup) 2 (3/4- x 3-inch) lemon peel strips, cut into 1/4- x 1/4- x 3-inch strips Directions Prepare the Radishes: Remove the greens. Trim Radishes, and set aside. Discard any tough stems from greens. Rinse greens, and blot dry. Set aside 1/2 cup lightly packed greens for Pesto, and set aside 1/4 cup lightly packed greens for Salad. (Discard any remaining greens, or reserve for another use.) Prepare the Pesto: Pulse together Parmesan, almonds, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped, 7 to 8 times. Add mint leaves and reserved 1/2 cup radish greens; pulse until finely chopped, 6 to 7 times. Add oil; pulse until mixture forms a loose paste with a bit of texture, 6 to 7 times. Store, tightly covered, in refrigerator up to 1 week. Prepare the Salad: Preheat oven to 375°F. Halve any radishes or potatoes that are larger than a golf ball; leave the rest whole. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Add garlic; drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat; spread mixture in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven until vegetables are tender and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Divide roasted vegetable mixture evenly among 4 plates; top with trout, Parmesan, mint leaves, and reserved 1/4 cup radish greens. Sprinkle with shallot and lemon peel strips. Top each Salad with 2 tablespoons Pesto. Serve immediately. Rate it Print