Gut Friendly Classic Relish
Bright, tangy, and packed with garden-fresh vegetables, this homemade relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better. English cucumbers, colorful bell peppers, and onion come together in a lightly spiced brine of vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric — simple, wholesome ingredients with nothing hidden or hard to pronounce. The salting and rinsing step is key: it draws out excess moisture so the final relish has great texture and isn't watery, which also means the vegetables are gentler on digestion than raw, unprocessed versions. Cooking the vegetables down in the brine softens them just enough to be easy on the gut while keeping a satisfying little bite. Store-bought relishes often sneak in high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, or preservatives that can be rough on a sensitive digestive system — making this from-scratch version a genuinely smarter swap. Spooned over grilled proteins, stirred into a grain bowl, or tucked into a wrap, it adds a punchy pop of flavor that feels indulgent without any of the ingredient baggage.
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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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