Skip to main content
Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
Some people claim to like turnips, but I don’t believe them. Sure, they’ll keep you alive during the long northern winter when there’s not much else to eat. But without a ton of butter or something else to mask their bitter, pungent flavor, turnips just don’t taste very good. Unless they’re the Japanese hybrid turnips called hakurei.
Also referred to as salad turnips, or sometimes Tokyo turnips, these fast-growing members of the vast Brassica family were developed by Japanese plant breeders to provide sustenance during the post-WWII food shortages. Harvested young, when the edible root is about the size of a golf ball, hakurei turnips don’t develop the bitter flavor of more mature turnips. They appear in the markets for a few weeks in the spring and fall, usually sold in bunches with their greens, which is what you want for this salad.
When you get them home, drop the whole bunch in cold water, swirling to loosen up any dirt. Repeat until the water is clear, then use a salad spinner or shake them dry. Short stems connect the roots to the greens, but they’re tender enough to go in the salad. The dressing hits the garlic and anchovy flavor notes of a classic Caesar with a couple of simple shortcuts, but there are easy substitutions if you’re a purist.
Recipe
1 bunch hakurei turnips with greens attached
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (or 2 anchovies, finely chopped)
¼ teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
2 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Croutons* and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to serve
*You can make croutons by cutting good bread into bite-sized cubes and frying it in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.
Stir together the vinegar, garlic powder, fish sauce, and salt in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Blend in the mayo and olive oil.
Clean the turnips and greens and trim the stringlike root from the ends. Cut the turnips in half and slice very thinly. Cut the greens into bite-sized pieces. Add to the dressing and toss well to coat evenly. Serve with croutons and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.