Daikon and Shrimp Soup

This soup recipe comes from Florence Fabricant and will use up quite a bit of radish. Serve it hot, or chill it and serve it cold.
In place of the green chili it calls for, you can also a Scotch bonnet pepper, but DON’T CUT IT UP. Just simmer the whole pepper in the soup when you add the shrimp, and then remove it before serving. You just want a bit of the heat, not the whole scorching thing.

Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds

In my CSA box was a little bundle of three medium size daikon radishes with greens. I think raw daikon radishes are an acquired taste. I love “regular” radishes, but the daikon has a bitterness to the heat that makes it not something I enjoy eating raw in a salad.

So to use my three pretty daikons today, I’ll be making these vegetables. Even if you don’t want to do the whole recipe, try the pickled vegetables part. It’s a fairly traditional take on Vietnamese pickled vegetables which are served on banh mi sandwiches and a great way to temper those daikons. You could do it with all daikon, but the carrots add color and the cucumber makes a nice change of texture. Try chicken, tofu or other shrimp instead of the salmon if you like.

This recipe is adapted from one in “A Change of Appetite” by Diana Henry.

Local Republic’s Shrimp and “Grits”

Let me share the simplest, best way to fix cornmeal polenta, courtesy of Scott Simon chef at Local Republic in Lawrenceville. He uses cooked cornmeal as a substitute for grits in what is otherwise a pretty traditional shrimp and grits recipe. I’ve used this idea now a half dozen times as a bed for fresh fish (while at the beach), sautéed vegetables, you name it. Love it.

After you try this, if you like the texture of the cooked cornmeal, remember the proportion of 4 cups liquid to 1 1/4 cups cornmeal. And of course, if you want yours thicker or thinner, just adjust the amount of liquid. Now you can make this any time you need a quick carb. Really – a side dish in 3 minutes? What’s not to love?