Inspired by the French appetizer radis au beurre, these herbed radish butter tartines are made with a compound butter of fresh herbs, lemon zest, and a hint of anchovy umami.
While traditional radis au beurre is simply radishes, sea salt, and butter (the fabulous Dorie Greenspan describes cutting French breakfast radishes in half almost to the base, stuffing softened butter in the slit, pressing the halves together so that butter comes out the sides a bit, then dipping the radish in fleur de sel), my version transforms this into an elegant spread perfect for entertaining.
This radish butter recipe combines whipped European-style butter with fresh chives, grated radishes, lemon zest, and anchovy for incredible umami depth. A touch of olive oil makes the compound butter light and spreadable, while grated radishes, thinly sliced radishes, and flaky finishing salt provide textural contrast.
Radishes and butters has long been a favorite in France that we don't see often over here in the States, but the now closed famous Prune in NYC (RIP COVID-related restaurant closings), which was helmed by chef Gabrielle Hamilton, served radishes with butter and salt as a testament to the power of simple, high-quality ingredients.
These radish butter tartines is the first of a series of easy appetizers I've been developing as a love letter to the way I (currently) eat: small bites, little snacks, all day, every day. It's been an extremely busy summer, I eat a lot less "proper" food when I'm actively developing recipes (throwback to the time I ate almost NOTHING but sweet cream pancake variations for 2 weeks straight), and August promises more of the same.
An aside but today was the first time I actually cooked a real, full meal—Customizable Grain Salad with Garlicky Spiced Oil and Fresh Herbs with Pomegranate Glazed Tofu and Spiced-Roasted Whole Carrots from Nisha Vora's EXCELLENT cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor: Techniques and 150 Recipes to Master Vegan Cooking (I HIGHLY recommend it).
Anyways, even though I ate this as a casual mid-morning snack, this radish butter is perfect for spreading on crackers alongside a fizzy cucumber mint mocktail or as part of a larger spread with something like my spiced shaved carrot salad. Ready in just 145 minutes, these herbed radish butter tartines are the kind of small bites that makes casual entertaining feel effortless.
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❤️ You'll love these herbed radish butter tartines because...
- Perfect balance of flavors - Both Gabrielle Hamilton and Dorie Greenspan agree: The peppery bite of fresh radishes against rich, herb-flecked butter creates this amazing contrast that keeps your palate interested. I've added a bit of anchovy to the butter, parsley, chives, and lemon zest to make things a bit more interesting.
- Texture texture texture - Crispy radishes mixed into creamy high-fat European butterfat. Need I say more?
- Effortlessly elegant - They look fancier than the 15 minutes it takes to make. Perfect for when someone drops by unexpectedly and you want to give them something to snack on.
- Uses simple ingredients - No hunting down specialty items at three different stores. Just butter, good olive oil, chives, parsley, one anchovy, lemon zest, and whatever radishes look good at the market.
🥘 Ingredients
For the herbed radish butter tartines:
- Butter - Since we're eating a lot of it uncooked, use high-quality unsalted butter, preferably European-style butter with higher fat content than the American grocery store stuff. Soften it to room temperature so we can whip it up.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - Again: good quality makes a big difference. During my recipe testing, I found that I liked the flavor and texture best when a bit of olive oil was whipped into the butter. It made the butter lighter and fluffier, easier to spread, and gave a better mouthfeel imo. I still have the Kosterina EVOO my in-laws gifted me for Christmas.
- Fresh chives - The star that gives the herb compound butter its flavor. Make sure yours are bright green and perky - wilted ones will make the butter taste like shit.
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley - Adds earthy depth and beautiful green flecks to the herbed butter. Use flat-leaf parsley, also known as Italian parsley, rather than curly parsley because there is a difference in taste.
- Anchovy - Just half of one anchovy fillet adds wonderful umami flavor. I used oil-packed. Salt-packed might work, but make sure you taste the butter after you mix a salt-packed anchovy in before you add salt and adjust to taste since you don't want to over-salt it. I wouldn't skip adding anchovy!
- Lemon zest - Fresh zest will brighten everything up and complement the herbs and anchovy. Use a microplane to get the finest zest.
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt - The preferred salt for most chefs and home cooks (myself included).
- Fresh radishes - Classic red radishes, watermelon radishes, French breakfast radishes, or whatever looks good at the market. Because this dish is so simple and has few ingredients and seasonings, it's important to use quality ones. They should be firm and crisp with no soft spots.
- Crusty bread or quality crackers - Slices of lightly toasted French baguette are perfect for serving, but quality crackers can work too. I'm partial to Firehouse Crackers.
- Finishing salt (optional) - Like Maldon Sea Salt or Fleur De Sel for sprinkling on top of your radish butter tartines just before serving. This adds the perfect final touch of crunch and brine.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- Cutting board - Remember that plastic and wooden cutting boards are recommended over glass and other materials because glass cutting dull knives and provide no grip so food slides around; while wooden and plastic cutting boards are both much more gentle on knives AND have their own merits.
- A sharp chef's knife - For mincing the chives and parsley.
- A fork - For smashing the anchovy half into a paste.
- Medium bowl - For combining the butter with chives, parsley, anchovy, lemon zest, and salt.
- Electric hand mixer (or fork) - To whip the butter until light and fluffy and thoroughly mix in all the ingredients. You could also have at it with a fork, but an electric hand mixer is MUCH easier.
- Box grater - For grating the radishes.
- Nut milk bag or cheesecloth - For squeezing the water out of the radishes
- Mandoline slicer - For thinly and uniformly slicing the radishes. You could absolutely use a sharp chef's knife, but a mandoline makes this job (and others, like thinly slicing fennel for a tangy shaved fennel slaw) easier so I highly recommend buying a mandoline if you don't already have one.
- Serrated bread knife - For slicing the French baguette or whatever bread you're using without smashing it.
- Butter knife or offset spatula - Or the back of a spoon if you're me or whatever to spread the butter on the bread.
- Measuring spoons
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In bowl whip butter until lighter in color
Step 2: Drizzle olive oil in while mixing
Step 3: Mix in minced chives, flat-leaf parsley, anchovy, lemon zest, and salt
Step 4: Fold in grated, drained radishes
Step 5: Spread herbed radish butter on toasts
Step 6: (Optional) Top with thinly sliced radishes, a bit of finishing salt, and garnishes and serve immediately
💡 Tips and Tricks
Let the butter come to room temperature
Don't shortcut it by microwaving. Just leave the butter out for 1-2 hours depending on your kitchen temperature.
Adding the olive oil
Where a vinaigrette is an unstable oil-in-water emulsion, butter is a stable water-in-oil emulsion. The fat in butter is the continuous stage so adding more fat (olive oil) to the butter is relatively stable so it's more forgiving. Don't worry too much about pouring too quickly or too slowly. DO make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature though.
Squeeze the water out of the grated radishes
This is crucial for preventing watery, separated herbed butter. Grated radishes release moisture quickly, so use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before folding them into your herbed butter. Hell, if you don't have a nut milk bag or cheesecloth, even using your hands to squeeze out as much water as possible is better than nothing.
If you want to make this ahead...
...the herbed butter without the grated radishes can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. When you're ready to serve it up, let it come to room temperature, rewhip it with a hand mixer, then fold in the freshly grated radishes just before assembling your radish butter tartines. This prevents the butter from getting watery, since the radishes will weep a bit no matter how hard you squeeze the water out.
Lightly toast the bread
Lightly toast your bread (if you're using bread) so it holds up to the rich herbed radish butter. Don't overdo it though: you want warmth and slight crispness, not crunch.
Save some herbs and lemon zest for garnish
If you're feeling fancy and free, set aside some minced chives, parsley, and lemon zest to sprinkle on top to make your herbed radish butter tartines extra fresh and professional.
More ideas for garnishing
- Radish microgreens or pea shoots would add some nice texture and color
- Flaky sea salt
- Edible flowers - Nasturtiums are peppery like radishes, and fresh chive blossoms fit the theme
- Lemon zest
- Cracked pepper
- A light drizzle of your best olive oil
👯 Substitutions
This herbed radish butter tartine recipe has so few ingredients and is wonderful as is, so any substitutions will change the character of the dish significantly. However, the following are some kinda safe modifications you could make without changing the flavor profile too much.
- Butter - Salted butter works perfectly fine instead of unsalted - just taste as you go and adjust the additional salt accordingly. Also, European-style butter will give you richer flavor which is important for a recipe like this that uses A LOT of butter, but regular grocery store butter is totally fine.
- Bread - Quality crackers, toasted baguette slices, or even sturdy crispbreads work well. Just make sure whatever you choose can support the butter without breaking.
- Finishing salt - If you don't have any fancy flaky sea salt to finish your herbed radish butter tartines, a light sprinkle of regular kosher salt will work.
🌿 Dietary Modifications
- Vegetarian - Skip the anchovy, though you'll lose the subtle umami depth that makes this herbed radish butter tartine special. A tiny bit of miso paste could add some of that savory complexity back in, but it wont' be the same.
- Vegan - This one is tricky since dairy butter is the star and I have yet to find a vegan butter that I enjoy eating as much as I enjoy the dairy stuff. Use a higher-quality vegan butter like Miyoko's or Kite Hill. Replace the anchovy with a tiny bit of miso paste, but at this point your getting close to making a different recipe than this one.
- Gluten-free - Use gluten-free bread or sturdy gluten-free crackers that have a relatively neutral taste.
- Keto/low-carb - Skip the bread and try smearing the herbed radish butter on thickly sliced cucumber or radish rounds. The butter itself is already keto-friendly.
Honestly though, if you need significant dietary modifications, you might be better off looking for a different appetizer that naturally fits your dietary needs since this herbed radish butter tartine recipe is pretty specific to what it is.
📖 Variations
The following variations to the herbed radish butter tartines will significantly change the flavor of the finished dish (so much so that I wouldn't even consider these to create the same dish I developed), but I offer them as suggestions in case your feeling adventurous, or have made this recipe before and want some inspiration for experiment. This basic herbed radish butter formula is endlessly adaptable - just keep the ratios similar to start out and taste as you go.
Herb Variations
- Dill radish butter - Swap the chives for fresh dill.
- Garlicky herbed radish butter - Add a small clove of minced garlic for extra punch.
Flavor Variations
- Lemon pepper radish butter - Add a significant amount of freshly cracked black pepper and extra lemon zest to the radish butter.
Serving Variation
- Closed sandwich - Instead of open-faced toasts, cut a 4-6 inch section (serves one person) of baguette and slice it horizontally (like a sub roll). Spread herbed radish butter on both the top and bottom halves, add a generous layer of thinly sliced radishes, and close.
🍐 Serving Suggestions
Occasions
- Casual wine nights
- Spring and summer entertaining
- Afternoon snacks or appetizers
- Picnics and outdoor gatherings
- Brunch spreads
- Dinner party starter
- Cocktail hour - Plan your own laidback cocktail hour complete with hor d'oeurves.
Pairings
- Wine - Crisp whites or dry rosé.
- Other appetizers - If your planning your very own relaxed cocktail hour with elegant hor d'oeurves, serve these herbed radish butter tartines along side other bitesized appetizers such as feta stuffed olives, marcona almonds (my favorite!) or dips such as butterbean hummus.
- Light meals - Eat a bunch of tartines or prepare as a closed face sandwich stuffed with more thinly sliced radish for a satisfying light meal.
Presentation Ideas
- Family style - Set out the radish butter in a bowl and more sliced radish rounds along with lightly toasted sliced bread and let people make their own.
🫙 Storage and Shelf Life
Not serving immediately? Refrigerating the herbed radish butter
Store the chive butter WITHOUT the grated radish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you're ready to serve, slowly soften the butter by leaving it out at room temperature for a couple hours (away from any butter monster cats), use an electric beater to re-aerate the mixture, then mix the drained, grated radish into the whipped butter.
Serve immediately. Extra radish butter will not keep. Extra already-assembled tartines will not keep.
As I keep saying, the grated radishes will gradually release moisture over time, making the toasts soggy or the butter watery. The radishes will lose their crispness.
Assemble no more than 30 minutes before serving.
Freezing
While compound butters such as these can be frozen for a number of months, I wouldn't recommend freezing the herbed butter. Because we're serving essentially a straight up butter spread on toasts, not compound butter baked into salmon or spooned over a sizzling steak, we want the freshest, herbiest flavor possible. Freezing the butter would remove that freshness.
Signs it's gone bad
If the herbed radish butter develops a slightly cheesy flavor, congrats! It's starting to go and is fermented.
🙋 FAQ
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Sure can! Adding the salt is already the last step, but make extra sure you taste your herbed radish butter BEFORE adding the additional ¼ teaspoon of salt. You're already getting salt from the anchovy and finishing salt. Be extra careful and start with less salt, then adjust to your preferences.
What if I can't find anchovies or don't like them?
While the half anchovy adds a nice umami, you can skip it if you must. The radish butter will still be delicious, just less complex. Just embrace the simpler version.
How thin should I slice the radishes?
Justttt thin enough to keep a crunch, maybe a millimeter or two but no need to get precious with it. Cooking is a creative science! A mandoline comes in handy: it makes uniform, thin slices every time. Just make sure to use the finger guard or a cut glove because the last slice of radish is a dumb thing to lose a bit of your finger from. Thicker slices will be too crunchy and overpower the butter.
Can I make a terrine instead?
Radish butter terrines are extremely aesthetically pleasing. When I started developing this recipe, I experimented with making a terrine layered with slices of radish and while pretty it didn't make sense to me: It didn't last long in the fridge because the radishes weeped and it was difficult to slice thinly enough to not be a giant glob of butter on a piece of toasted baguette or a cracker.
But if you like terrines and like eating a massive amount of butter (no judgement! I'm a butter monster too!), be my guest and let me know how your experiments turn out!
What's the best bread to use?
I'm partial to a lightly toasted, crusty French baguette. I'd think a sourdough also works well, since its slight acidity would cut the richness of the herbed radish butter even more.
Can I use the grated radish without squeezing the water out?
No. Grated radish will release water quickly and make your butter watery. Grate them, then make sure you squeeze the water out. A nut milk bag makes clean, quick work of it and so does cheesecloth, but if you have neither at least squeeze as much of the water out of the the grated radish with your hands.
Why does my butter look broken/separated?
If the butter was too cold or you added the oil too quickly, your butter might have separated during the whipping process. But don't fret! Just everything a bit more time to come to room temperature, then re-whip and everything should come together smoothly.
Why do people eat butter with radishes?
The butter cuts down the sharp spiciness of the radish! Add in a little crunchy salt and it's a simple, elegant snack.
🤩 Recommended
Looking for other recipes? Try these!
📖 Recipe
Herbed Radish Butter Tartines
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter unsalted, good quality, room temperature (see Note 1)
- 2 teaspoon olive oil extra-virgin, good quality
- 2 tablespoon chives minced
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest fresh
- ½ an anchovy fillet oil-packed and mashed with a fork (see Note 4)
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Note 4)
- 1 bunch radishes about ¾ of a pound with the leaves on
- a French baguette rounds cut on the diagonal
- finishing salt such as Maldon or Fleur de sel
Instructions
Prepare the Radishes
- Trim both the root tip and stem end of the radishes, leaving about an inch of stem (this makes them easier to grip while grating and slicing).Grate about ⅔ of the radishes using the large holes of a box grater into a medium bowl.
- Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over the grated radishes and toss. Let sit for a couple minutes.
- Place salted radishes in a clean kitchen towel or nut milk bag and squeeze out as much water as possible (See Note 2)
- Use a mandoline to thinly slice the remaining radishes into rounds about 1-2 millimeters thick. Set aside.
Prepare the Chive Butter
- Whip the butter in another medium bowl with a hand mixer until light, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in color (about 2-3 minutes)
- With the mixer running on high speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until fully incorporated
- Optionally reserving some herbs and lemon zest for garnish, mix in the minced chives, parsley, lemon zest, and mashed anchovy half until evenly distributed
Combine and Serve
- Right before you're ready to serve (see Note 3), add the squeezed radishes to the butter mixture and fold in. No need to be gentle about it.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed (see Note 4)
- Spread a generous amount onto lightly toasted baguette rounds
- Top with radish slices, extra minced herbs and lemon zest, and a sprinkle of flaky finishing salt
- Serve immediately while the toast is still slightly warm
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