MSG Free Classic Relish
Bright, tangy, and packed with garden-fresh flavor, this homemade relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — from hot dogs to burgers to a humble cheese board. Store-bought relish is one of those sneaky products where flavor enhancers and additives tend to hide in plain sight, so making your own from scratch is a genuinely satisfying solution. Here, crisp English cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, and onion are salted, rinsed, and simmered in a simple brine of white vinegar, sugar, and warm spices like mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. That brine does all the heavy lifting, delivering bold, complex flavor without anything artificial. The salting and pressing step is key — it draws out excess moisture so the relish thickens beautifully and holds its texture rather than turning watery in the jar. Once cooled and tucked into sterilized glass jars, it keeps in the fridge and gets even better as the flavors meld. It's the kind of small-batch kitchen project that feels impressive but is genuinely straightforward to pull off.
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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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