avg —
Relish Sauce
Instructions
I prepare the ingredients — wash and dry all vegetables. Any cucumbers work, including imperfect or crooked ones, as long as they're not over-mature with woody seeds. For a visually striking relish, I pick sweet peppers in different colours (red and orange together). Heat level is adjustable: more or less hot pepper to taste.
I dice the cucumbers into small cubes (about 5-6 mm) without peeling. The skin gives the relish its characteristic green flecks and contributes extra crunch.
I transfer the cucumbers into a large heavy-bottomed pot — relish reduces during cooking and the heavy base prevents the vegetables from scorching at the bottom.
I dice the zucchini the same way. For older zucchini, I scrape out the seeds and peel the skin first; young zucchini goes in whole, skin and all.
I add the zucchini cubes to the cucumbers in the pot.
I finely dice the onion — same 5-6 mm cubes as the cucumbers. Uniform sizing is important here so all vegetables cook at the same rate.
I transfer the onion cubes into the pot with the cucumbers and zucchini.
I dice the sweet peppers the same way — small cubes for the relish texture.
I add the sweet pepper cubes into the vegetable mix.
I very finely chop the hot chili pepper — much smaller cubes than the rest. For maximum heat, I keep the seed core in; for milder relish I deseed first. The capsaicin concentration is highest in the white pith and seeds.
I add the chili to the pot as well.
I add the salt, sugar, and turmeric. Turmeric is what gives commercial relish its distinctive yellow-green colour — without it the relish would just be vegetable-coloured.
I add the two types of mustard — strong yellow plus Dijon grainy. The combination delivers both the sharp heat of strong mustard and the textural punctuation of whole grainy seeds.
I mix everything thoroughly, cover the pot, and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes for an initial salt draw, then mix again and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. This cold maceration pulls juice from the vegetables and lets the spices fully penetrate.
After the macerating time, the vegetables have released a substantial amount of juice and absorbed the seasoning blend. The mixture should look noticeably wetter than when it went in.
I place the pot over moderate heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching at the bottom — the mustard's natural sugars caramelise quickly without movement.
I keep boiling until the cucumbers visibly change colour — they shift from bright green to a deeper olive green, which signals the cell walls have collapsed enough to integrate the brine fully. About 10-12 minutes.
I turn off the heat and pulse the mixture briefly with an immersion blender — short bursts only, just enough to break down the largest chunks while keeping the relish characteristically chunky. Smooth-blended relish becomes ketchup; the texture is what defines it.
I turn the heat back on to medium, boil for another 10 minutes, then add the apple vinegar and cook 5 minutes more. Late vinegar addition preserves more of its bright acid notes; vinegar boiled too long loses its character.
I dissolve the starch in about 20 ml of cold water, stirring until smooth. Cold water is non-negotiable — hot water clumps the starch into rubbery beads.
I pour the starch slurry into the pot, mix immediately, and bring everything back to a boil. The starch swells in seconds at boiling point and gives the relish its final glossy thickness.
The relish is now properly thickened and glossy. Without turning off the heat (just reduce to minimum), I ladle the hot relish into pre-sterilised jars, leaving a 1 cm headspace at the top.
I screw the lids on tightly (screw-top or swing-top both work), invert the jars, and leave them upside down to cool. The inversion creates a vacuum seal as the contents cool — properly sealed jars store at room temperature all winter.Relish is endlessly useful: spoon over fish, meat, or grain bowls; stir into burger or hot-dog assemblies; eat straight on bread as a quick snack. Make plenty — once you have it on hand, you'll use it more than expected.
Tips
- 1
STERILISE THE JARS PROPERLY. The 4-hour total time and the boiling steps are wasted if the jars aren't truly sterile. Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, then sterilise jars in a 120 °C oven for 15 minutes (lids in boiling water for 5 minutes). Fill while both jars and relish are still hot — temperature differential is what creates the vacuum seal. Cold jars + hot relish = cracked glass.
- 2
ADJUST THE MUSTARD BLEND. The 50/50 blend of strong yellow + Dijon grainy is the classic pickle-relish profile, but the ratio can shift. More strong mustard (try 80/20) for sharper heat; more grainy (try 30/70) for milder, seedier texture. Whole-grain Dijon and grainy honey-mustards both work as substitutes for the Dijon. For another layered preserve sauce in the same shelf-stable family, see Tomato and garlic sauce for winter.
- 3
KEEP IT CHUNKY — DON'T OVER-BLEND. The defining feature of relish is the visible vegetable pieces. The blender step (18) is for breaking the largest chunks only — pulse 3-4 times max, never run continuously. If you accidentally smooth-blend it, embrace it: you've made a chunky condiment that's halfway to chutney, still tasty but not technically relish.
- 4
CHANGE THE VEGETABLE MIX SEASONALLY. The recipe is forgiving. Add finely diced cabbage in autumn, swap part of the cucumber for green tomatoes at end-of-season, or add diced carrot for sweetness and colour. Keep the total weight of vegetables similar (about 1.6 kg) and the mustard-vinegar-spice ratios fixed. For a comparable spicy preserved condiment with a different base, try Zucchini Rings in Spicy Sauce for Winter.
FAQ
How long does relish keep once opened? +
Sealed jars store at room temperature for up to 12 months without quality loss. Once opened, transfer the jar to the fridge and use within 2-3 weeks — the high vinegar and salt content slows but doesn't stop spoilage at fridge temperatures. Always use a clean spoon when serving; double-dipping introduces bacteria and shortens shelf life. If you spot any mould or off-smell, discard the entire jar — relish that's gone bad cannot be salvaged by skimming the surface.
Can I make this relish without canning? +
Yes, you can make a fresh-eating version that skips the jar sterilisation. Cook through step 22 as written, then transfer to clean (non-sterilised) containers, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Fresh-eating relish keeps 3-4 weeks in the fridge — long enough for a single household to use a full batch. Skip the inversion step (23) since you're not relying on a vacuum seal. The flavour is identical; only the storage method changes.
What's the best way to use relish? +
Relish is the universal sandwich condiment — a tablespoon transforms grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers, and fish wraps. It's also excellent stirred into mayonnaise (1 tbsp per 100 g) for an instant tartare-style sauce, spooned over baked potatoes alongside sour cream, or mixed into tuna or egg salad for sharpness and crunch. The mustard heat pairs especially well with smoked or fried fish, where it cuts richness without competing.
Can I substitute the apple vinegar? +
Yes, with adjustment. White wine vinegar gives a cleaner, less sweet result and works at the same 120 ml volume. Distilled white vinegar is sharper and more acidic — use only 90 ml to compensate. Avoid balsamic (too dark, too sweet) and rice vinegar (flavour profile doesn't match). The 6% acidity level matters for the preservation: vinegars below 5% acidity may not be acidic enough for safe long-term storage, so check the label.
- Comment
or post as a guest
Be the first to comment.
