Hot Pepper Relish Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated May 06, 2019
20130522-253262-hot-pepper-relish.jpg
Photographs: Joshua Bousel

When trying out new relish recipes to top grilled dogs this summer, I may have awarded a tricolor sweet pepper relish the distinction of being my favorite, but this hot pepper relish was a very close second.

I'm a sucker for anything spicy, and the mix of green and red hot peppers here—I used jalapeños and cherry peppers—made it instantly attractive. The peppers are finely chopped in a food processor with some onion, then salted and strained of excess water. Finally, the mix is simmered in vinegar and sugar, giving it its relish tang.

I had removed the seeds from my peppers, so I ended up with a fruity, sweet heat that would be pretty universally pleasing. If making it again, I'd leave the seeds in to give it a fiery intensity, placating my need for something spicy and giving new meaning to the "hot" in hot dog.

Recipe Details

Hot Pepper Relish Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 2 hrs 20 mins
Serves 12 servings
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound hot green peppers (such as jalapeños or serranos), stemmed, seeds removed for a milder relish

  • 1/2 pound hot red peppers (such as fresnos or cherry peppers), stemmed, seeds removed for a milder relish

  • 1/2 pound yellow onions, roughly chopped

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

  1. Place peppers and onions in workbowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse until peppers and onion are finely chopped.

  2. Transfer pepper mixture to a fine mesh strainer set inside a bowl. Stir in salt and let sit for 2-3 hours. Rinse under cold water and strain, pushing vegetables against side of the strainer using a rubber spatula to remove as much water as possible.

  3. In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve to sugar. Add in pepper mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer relish to an airtight container and store in refrigerator up to a month.

Special Equipment

Food processor

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
38 Calories
0g Fat
9g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 38
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 317mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 47mg 237%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 125mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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