Recipes and ideas for using fresh horseradish root, including salads, sauces, and succulent baked salmon with a vibrant beetroot and horseradish topping.
Every year it’s the same – you use a couple of inches of fresh horseradish at your seder, then the remainder of the root slowly withers in the fridge until you finally throw it away some time around Rosh Hashanah. Oy…

What is horseradish?
Horseradish is a perennial brassica plant, related to mustard, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, among others. The edible part is the root, which is cultivated and used as a spice, seasoning and condiment. It has been grown and used since antiquity and is mentioned in texts dating back to the Romans, such as Pliny’s Natural History.
The plant grows happily in the UK’s temperate climate. It has broad green leaves and produces sprays of pretty white flowers. However it can become invasive if not kept in check, so beware planting it in your garden! Grow in pots or planters if you want to produce home-grown horseradish.

How is horseradish used?
Horseradish is not the most common ingredient. Its pungent flavour can be an acquired taste! In British cuisine it’s traditionally made into a creamy sauce to accompany beef, but it’s also good with smoked or oily fish and strong flavoured vegetables.
Traditionally in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, it’s is combined with beetroot to make red chrayne – a pungent, bright pink condiment most usually served with gefilte fish. It’s readily available in jars and is usually the subject of arguments over its strength and/or sweetness.
Any Jewish person over a certain age will tell you that chrayne has been getting weaker since they were a child, and that you just can’t get the real stuff anymore.

According to connoisseurs (well, DH anyway), ‘proper’ chrayne should not be sweet, but should give you shooting pains through the top of your head and clear your sinuses! If you’ve ever chewed down a chunk of raw horseradish at the seder, you’ll know just what he means!
‘Chrayne’ in European cuisine
Horseradish is known as chrayne – כריין – in Yiddish. In Central and Eastern Europe, it is called khren, hren ren, and other similar names. For instance:
- Ukraine – khrin
- Belarus – chren
- Poland – chrzan
- Czech Republic – křen
- Slovakia – chren
- Romania – hrean
- Lithuania – krienai
it is most typically used in sauces, pickles and salads. Freshly grated, it is used as a condiment for various types of meat. In Poland, zupa chrzanowa or horseradish soup is a traditional dish.

Recipes using fresh horseradish root
If you’re looking to use up your horseradish root, why not:
- Make this beet salad with baby arugula, red onion and horseradish vinaigrette from Ronnie Fein.
- Mix grated horseradish with cream cheese to make a punchy spread that’s delicious topped with smoked salmon. Serve with bagels, crackers, or even on matza!
- Scoop the yolks from halved hard boiled eggs, and mash with grated horseradish and mayonnaise before stuffing back into the whites. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley for a tasty starter or lunch dish.
- Make ‘real’ chrayne – grate horseradish root and beets and mix together with a little vinegar, seasoning and sugar to taste. Store in the fridge and serve with gefilte fish.
- Mix equal volumes of finely grated horseradish root and mayonnaise, and serve as a sauce with seared tuna steaks, for a simple but sophisticated dinner.
- Add grated horseradish to mashed potatoes for a punch of flavour – this is especially good used as a topping for fish pie. Yum!
- Use grated horseradish to season a cheese sauce, pour over steamed cauliflower florets and bake until golden for a zingy cauliflower cheese.
- Make a quick mackerel pate by whizzing smoked mackerel, cream cheese and lemon juice. Add grated horseradish to taste. Serve with crackers or crudités, or use as a delicious sandwich filling.
- Add some finely grated horseradish to homemade humous to add some piquancy to your dip.
- Enjoy a ‘virgin Mary’ cocktail – mix tomato juice with grated horseradish, lemon juice, chilli, salt and pepper, and garnish with a slice of lemon or lime and a celery stick for stirring. Add a splash of vodka for a ‘bloody Mary’.
- Try my delicious baked salmon with a beetroot and horseradish topping – see below!

The beet goes on
We love beetroot in this house, so mixing some of our leftover horseradish with beets was not controversial! The two root vegetables work in delicious harmony to make a tasty topping for baked salmon.
Grating them and mixing them together also creates a vibrant pink mixture that looks absolutely fabulous.

Ingredients in baked salmon with horseradish and beetroot topping
To make this delicious salmon dish yourself, you will need the following ingredients:
- Salmon fillets
- Fresh, raw beetroots
- Horseradish root – if you don’t have any fresh you can also use prepared grated horseradish from a jar, but taste and adjust the amount you use as the pungency can vary from one jar to another
- Spring onions – also sometimes called scallions
- Olive oil
- Natural yogurt – to make this recipe parve (dairy free), you can substitute non-dairy yogurt or just use mayonnaise (see below)
You’ll also need a grater – or use a food processor, a skillet to cook up the topping, and a baking sheet large enough to accommodate the fish fillets.

Dairy or dairy-free
I used plain yogurt to stick the topping onto the fish, but if you want to keep this recipe parve (dairy free) you can also use non-dairy yogurt like soya or oat, or just a dollop of mayonnaise, instead.
The layer of yogurt/non-dairy yogurt/mayo helps to keep the fish nice and moist during cooking, as well as helping the topping to stick.
I love the way the grated beetroot mixture looks like thatch, or even a crazy punk hair-do, on top of the salmon. Maybe I’ve been at the horseradish vodka a little too much…

Pretty in pink
I assembled the fish and topping a while before baking it, and the bright pink colour leached prettily into the salmon, which was an added bonus, aesthetically speaking. We all enjoyed eating it, although DH thought I should have used more horseradish. I worry he’s become addicted to those shooting head pains!
You can spice the recipe up – or down – according to your preference.
My daughter Kipper disassembled her portion and ate the salmon and the beetroot topping separately, so we had to scrub her purple hands clean at bath time! Not a dish to be served to small people wearing their best clothes, I think.

No fresh horseradish? No problem!
If you don’t have a leftover horseradish root lurking in your fridge for this recipe, you could buy a chunk specially, but it’s also possible to substitute a couple of spoonfuls of prepared jarred horseradish for its fresh cousin. Taste and adjust the amount depending on the strength of the jarred stuff, which can be quite variable.
This recipe makes four fillets of salmon. Delicious!
Serve with new potatoes, steamed vegetables or a simple salad for a tasty family dinner.

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📖 Recipe

Roasted salmon with a beetroot and horseradish topping
Ingredients
- 350 g fresh beetroot
- 25 g piece fresh horseradish root (approx. 2 tablespoon when grated)
- 1-2 spring onions
- 2 tablespoon olive oil + a little for oiling the baking sheet
- 4 salmon fillets (120-150g / 4-5 oz each)
- 1½ tablespoon natural yogurt (or non-dairy alternative, or mayonnaise)
Instructions
- Peel and grate the beetroots. Peel and finely grate the horseradish root. Trim and thinly slice the spring onions.
- Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large skillet. Fry the grated beetroot for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the horseradish and spring onions and continue to cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with a little olive oil. Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheet.
- Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of yogurt over each salmon fillet. Divide the beetroot mixture between the pieces of fish, pressing it onto the top of each one.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for around 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition

More delicious baked salmon recipes
You might also enjoy this Spice-rack salmon with a delicious herb and spice blend Scandi-Inspired mustard & dill salmon with lingonberry sauce, this fabulous salmon topped with pine nuts, orange and rosemary, or this delicious salmon with sun-dried tomatoes.
This post was originally published in June 2015, and was updated in April 2022.
Hilary Margelovich
Lemon zest instead of yoghurt is an interesting twist and you can serve this at a meat meal too
Helen
Sounds great Hilary! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
choclette
I can see beetroot and horseradish going together quite beautifully. We grow horseradish down on the plot, it’s sort of taken over, but I never remember to use it. I’ve bookmarked this one though, so hopefully I will remember it. Cauliflower and wasabi soup is nice, so I’m guessing it might work equally well with horseradish.
Helen
My FIL used to grow horseradish and it does have a tendency to go wild if not kept in check. Cauliflower and horseradish sounds like a great combination – I’ll have to try it with some of the remaining root!
Janice (@FarmersgirlCook)
I love the look of this, salmon, beetroot and horseradish are three of my favourite savoury foods, great leftovers inspiration!
Helen
Thanks Janice – we all really enjoyed it 😀
Ceri @Natural Kitchen Adventures
I bought some horseradish a few months back. It is indeed still lingering in my cupboard – why is it so hard to find use for it? Liking the sound of this recipe – Am a huge fan of beetroot!!
Helen
Thanks Ceri. I think part of the problem is that you typically have to buy a whole root. Why can’t they sell you just a couple of inches?! At least it keeps for ages…