Give Your Picnic Sandwich The Crunch It Deserves With One Ingredient

Along with refreshing slices of watermelon and vibrant summer salads, freshly prepared sandwiches are a highlight of picnic season. While there's nothing wrong with sticking to the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you might feel inspired to put extra effort into your sandwich making skills from time to time. If you're looking to upgrade your next classic egg salad or turkey sandwich with a satisfying nutritious crunch, try radishes.

If you're not familiar with these crispy vegetables, radishes belong to the brassica family along with broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Radishes are an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. What makes these nutritious root vegetables perfect for your next sandwich has a lot to do with their crunchy texture.

Radish can be thinly sliced into even discs that are perfect for layering onto your next sandwich. Depending on the variety you choose, the flavor of radishes varies greatly. If you're adding these crunchy veggies primarily for extra texture, choose a mild type of radish. Apart from knowing the different types of radishes available, you can also prepare this crunchy sandwich topping in more ways than one.

Before upgrading your ham sandwich with raw radish slices, knowing the differences between the available varieties will help you choose the right one for the job. Since nearly all radishes have firm, crunchy flesh, choose the variety that best matches your own personal tastes. Cherry belle radishes are the most used variety found in grocery stores all year round. Small, round, and bright red, cherry belle radishes have a more mellow, sweet taste. French breakfast and easter egg radishes are both on the milder side, with subtle peppery flavors.

If you're after a spicier bite, watermelon radishes may be for you. Their pale green skin and fuchsia-colored flesh will give your picnic sandwiches a sharper flavor and more vibrant appearance. White icicle radishes are long and pale with a spicy taste. Black radishes have a strikingly dark skin and white flesh with an intense, spicy flavor. To find lesser-common radish varieties, hit up your local farmers' markets.

To give any sandwich that extra crunch, thinly slice radishes and layer them neatly with any combination of meat, cheese and veggies. Instead of adding traditional mayonnaise and mustard, consider using hummus or mashed avocado, both of which are delicious with sliced radishes. If you're a huge fan of radishes, try the French classic — butter and radish sandwiches. Composed of sliced raw radishes, butter, sea salt, and fresh herbs, these are simple, crunchy, and delicious. Butter and radish sandwiches exude the perfect balance between sharp and creamy flavors.

Pickled radishes are a delicious way to add the same crunch but with a more robust vinegar taste. Pickled radishes stay firm and crisp and add a pop of brightness to rich creamy sandwiches like tuna, egg, or chicken salad. Pickled daikon radishes are a staple on Vietnamese báhn mì sandwiches. Radishes can also be shredded or finely chopped to make a crunchy slaw, or try making a fruit-infused version like pickled mango radish slaw to add to your next pulled pork sandwich. 

Whether you enjoy radishes piled onto a classic turkey sandwich or eaten solo with butter and salt, these colorful root vegetables are the perfect way to add both texture and flavor to your favorite warm weather sandwiches.