While simple to prepare, Radish Eyeballs look impressively ghoulish. From their green olive irises to their taproot optic nerves, these bloodshot eyeball appetizers are deliciously spooky. They are sure to earn a smile, or a grimace, as they garnish your favorite Halloween beverage. Or just serve them on their own. Arranged on an olive tray and drizzled with a red sauce, they’ll make a remarkably eye-catching addition to your Halloween table.
Halloween Fun?
I really don’t do a lot to celebrate Halloween. I hardly ever dress up or go to a party. Usually I just stay at home and hand out candy. I offer treats to the ghouls and boys that ring my doorbell dressed in their cute little costumes. Then I answer the door as the older kids come by in makeshift getups. I welcome them too, happy for them to take the rest of the Halloween candy off my hands so I don’t end up eating it all myself.
Sometimes we watch a Halloween movie, though that is generally on the tame side too. No absurdly gory movies for me. I prefer classics like Dracula or Young Frankenstein, possibly The Birds, or even an old episode or two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Other times we play a card game while we sip a favorite fall beverage.
Radish Eyeballs
Last year I was on my own for Halloween. My husband was out of town and my son was out with friends. The waves of trick-or-treaters at my door were intermittent and I was fairly bored. What to do? Like any obsessive food blogger I went to the kitchen to see what I could make. Before long I found a recipe for Cocktail Radish Eyeballs that was perfect for the occasion and asked for just two ingredients.
Between answering the door for Trick-or-Treaters, I read the recipe and followed the directions. First, I gathered a few radishes. Next, with a vegetable peeler, I pared away the vivid skin in strips from top to taproot tail. I left behind just a few long emphatic streaks of red on the pale flesh. Then I used the tip of the peeler to core out the center of the radish’s bulb. When the cavity looked large enough, I pushed a pimiento stuffed green olive into the opening and trimmed it flush against the cut surface of the radish. That was it.
An Eye-Catching Addition
Standing back to appraise my work I was impressed. My radishes definitely had a creepy anatomical look. The green olive created an anemic iris with a spooky pimiento red pupil. The radish’s long taproot, left intact at the base, with its tiny lateral roots, graphically resembled a dangling optic nerve. Never before had it occurred to me that the wholesome little root crop in my fall vegetable garden could so easily mimic gruesomely disembodied bloodshot eyeballs.
Overall, this is an easy recipe that delivers a terrific impact. You don’t have to be a huge fan of radishes, or even green olives, to enjoy this fun little appetizer. The flavors are interesting, the finished product is totally edible and the illusion is worthwhile for a Halloween party or even for an evening at home. They are sure to earn a smile, or a grimace, as they garnish a Martini, Sakétini, Bloody Mary or a glass of club soda. They can also be frozen individually in ice cubes to cool any clear beverage. Or just serve them on their own. Arranged on an olive tray and drizzled with a red sauce, they’ll make a remarkably eye-catching addition to your Halloween table.
Radish Eyeballs and Sakétini Cocktails
Course: Beverage, AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes20
minutes
Simple to prepare, Radish Eyeballs look impressively ghoulish. Serve them as a deliciously spooky appetizer or as a garnish for your favorite Halloween beverage.
Ingredients
- Radish Eyeballs
1 bunch fresh radishes
1 jar small green pimiento stuffed olives
- Sakétini Cocktails
8 oz. Momokawa Silver or other dry Saké
4 oz. vodka or gin
ice cubes
Directions
- For the Cocktail Eyeballs:
- Carefully wash the radishes in cold water and pat dry.
- Using a vegetable peeler or small paring knife create stripes by carefully peeling a radish from top to root, leaving small streaks of red between the peeled stripes of white, and being careful to leave the root intact.
- Slice away approximately 1/3 of the stem end of the radish. Using the coring tip of a vegetable peeler scoop out the interior of the radish, being careful not to break the sides.
- Push one pimiento stuffed green olive into the cavity you created. The olive should fit snugly and protrude above the surface of the radish less than half way with the pimiento stuffed end facing outward.
- Slice away the protruding end of the olive so that it is flush with the radish.
- Use Radish Eyeballs as a garnish for Sakétinis or other Halloween beverages. Or arrange stuffed radishes in a serving dish and drizzle with cocktail sauce or a red salad dressing (I used Pomegranate Dressing), enough to pool slightly in the bottom of the dish. Serve with toothpicks.
- For the Sakétini:
- Shake 2 ozs. saké and 1 oz. vodka or gin with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a Cocktail Radish Eyeball, or alternately, with a lime curl, olive or other festive garnish.
Notes
- Recipe Sources: Cocktail Eyeballs from Show Me Vegan and Sakétini from“the sakétini” booklet distributed by Saké One.
- You might like to add a splash of Campari or cranberry juice to add a bit of clear color to your drink.
- Would you prefer a non-alcoholic drink in which to display your Radish Eyeballs? Pour chilled tonic or club soda into a pretty glass. Add a splash of cranberry juice, if you like. Then add a Cocktail Eyeball as a garnish.
The saketinis are best. Love the eye's they gave me a smile.
Oh I am keeping this for next year, absolutely brilliant!
This is one of the most creative drinks I've EVER seen! A fun drink for sure and thanks for the inspiration. We're going over to my brother's house and this would be a wonderful drink for the adults.
HaHaHa…love the eyeballs. And the saketinis too. Happy Halloween.
So creepy and so brilliant!
How clever!
These eyeballs are a hoot. I bet you had fun making them! My kids would get a big kick out of them but I would have to eat them all, I love radishes.
that is so clever–i wish i could have inventive ideas like that. your execution is flawless and your beverage makes me wish i a)enjoyed alcohol, and b)got more into halloween. 🙂
These are so much fun!!!
Those are wonderful!