Emulsifier Free Classic Relish
Bright, tangy, and loaded with garden-fresh crunch, this homemade relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — from hot dogs to potato salad to a simple grilled cheese. Store-bought versions are notorious for sneaking in stabilizers and emulsifying agents to extend shelf life and improve texture, which makes them a minefield if you're trying to keep your food clean and straightforward. This recipe skips all of that entirely, relying on nothing more than fresh vegetables, vinegar, sugar, and a handful of classic pickling spices to get the job done beautifully. The salt-and-drain technique pulls excess moisture from the cucumbers, onion, and bell peppers before they ever hit the pan, which means the relish thickens naturally as it cooks — no additives needed. Mustard seed, celery seed, and a touch of turmeric give it that warm, slightly complex flavor that tastes like it came from a farmstand jar your grandmother kept in the back of the fridge. Once it's cooled and tucked into sterilized glass jars, you've got a versatile, fridge-ready condiment you can feel genuinely good about.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
- 4 cups english cucumbers, finely chopped (about 3 medium cucumbers)
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 medium onion)
- ½ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Combine the chopped cucumbers, onion, and both bell peppers in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the vegetables and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, until the vegetables have released a significant amount of liquid.
- 2
Transfer the salted vegetables to a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Press firmly with your hands or the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible — the vegetables should feel noticeably drier.
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