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Perfectly piquant with sweet and savory flavor, this mustard relish might just be my new favorite condiment! Rich and zesty from both mustard powder and mustard seeds, this sunny yellow relish also features a slew of fresh vegetables like cucumber, bell pepper, and onion. Slather it onto a hot dog or spread it onto a sandwich made with homemade sourdough and you’ll see why I’m such a fan.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Two Condiments in One – If you like yellow mustard and cucumber relish, you’re going to want to make this recipe right away! It has a great balance of sweetness and tang with lots of texture, making it my new go-to condiment.
Quick and Easy – This relish is great because the food processor does most of the hard work for you. It comes together with just a quick chop, a simmer and a short chill in the fridge.
Uses Extra Summer Produce – If your garden is bursting with cucumber, this is a really good recipe for using some up. Or feel free to swap in other summer vegetables like zucchini or summer squash.
Ingredients
- Cucumber – I used English cucumbers here, but you can use other varieties. If you use a thick-skinned cucumber, it’s up to you whether to peel it or not.
- Red Bell Pepper – I love the pop of red in this relish, but you could also use yellow, orange, or green.
- Red Onion – You could use another type of onion, but again, I love the color contrast added by the purplish-reddish shade.
- Salt
- White Vinegar – This version is budget friendly with a basic white vinegar, but cider vinegar would be good too.
- Sugar – I recommend granulated white sugar for this recipe.
- Mustard Powder – This is sometimes called dry mustard or ground mustard.
- Mustard seeds – I prefer yellow for the color but you could also use black.
- Ground Turmeric – Gives a nice earthy flavor and a beautiful golden yellow color.
How to Make Mustard Relish
This homemade mustard relish comes together by blitzing the vegetables, drawing out excess moisture with salt, and simmering everything in a bold mustard-spiked vinegar syrup. It’s a simple process that makes a sweet and tangy relish that’s perfect for topping sandwiches, sausages or burgers.
Add all the vegetables to the food processor and pulse to a fine dice. Don’t run your food processor for too long as you don’t want vegetable puree! Texture if key for a good mustard relish!
Transfer all the vegetables to a large colander over the sink and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to combine and let drain for at least 30 minutes. Be prepared for a lot of liquid to come out (it’s best to do this over the sink)!
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard powder, mustard seeds, and turmeric in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the mustard seeds. If the vegetables aren’t ready by this point, you can just turn the heat off.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Using Tumeric and Mustard Powder
Tumeric and mustard powder can sometimes stain, so don’t use your favorite white or wooden utensils unless you’re ok with them turning a pale golden color!
This is also a good time to prepare your jars. You can store the relish in an airtight container, but I like to use sterilized jars so it lasts a bit longer. Plus, if you put this mustard relish in a jar, it’s ready for easy gifting! Pour boiling water into your jars and allow to sit for a few minutes before carefully emptying them out, or run them through a hot dishwasher cycle to sterilize.
Once the vegetables are ready, add them to the pot and stir to combine thoroughly. Bring the mixture to a boil, then continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until you like the consistency. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, sugar, or a pinch more mustard powder if you think the relish needs it.
Using a stainless steel jar funnel and ladle, carefully fill the jars, leaving around 1cm head room at the top of the jar. Place the lids on and seal immediately. Leave the jars on the counter to cool, then transfer to the fridge.
How To Use Mustard Relish
This mustard relish is the perfect condiment to have ready for layering into sandwiches on homemade sourdough ciabatta rolls, slathering on a grilled hot dog on a sourdough hot dog bun, or serving alongside sourdough pigs in blankets at your next barbecue. I love taking a jar of this mustard relish and my tomato chutney whenever we go to a bbq!
I’m obsessed with this relish on sandwiches! Two slices of fresh sourdough sandwich bread, some ham or turkey, cheddar cheese, crunchy lettuce and an ample helping of this mustard relish makes an ideal lunch.
A sourdough grilled cheese sandwich packed with this relish is another family favorite.
I love the bright yellow pop of color this relish gives to a charcuterie board or ploughman’s platter. It’s great with sourdough ritz crackers or seeded sourdough crackers and a slice of fresh cheese.
How To Store + Freeze
If you just store the relish in an airtight container, it will last a week or so in the fridge.
With sealed and sterilized jars, the relish should last a few months in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it, just be sure to leave enough headroom in the jar for the liquid to expand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this relish would be delicious with some of the cucumber swapped out for zucchini or summer squash. You can also easily substitute a different color of bell pepper or variety of onion. Just keep roughly the same amounts and you’ll be ok to swap.
This is a bit of a personal preference, but you do want to make sure enough of the liquid has cooked off and the mixture has thickened slightly. It should be easily scoopable and spreadable and the vegetables should still have some bite. Think cucumber relish!
Great question! A relish is a condiment made up of chopped fruits or vegetables that’s usually cooked or preserved with vinegar and sugar to make it both sweet and tangy/sour. A relish is typically chunkier than a chutney, and features more cooked or pickled ingredients compared to a salsa.
Mustard Relish
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Storage Jars (I used three 300ML jars)
Ingredients
- 2 English Cucumbers, (about 650g once trimmed)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, (about 140g once trimmed)
- 1 Red Onion, (about 120g once trimmed)
- 15 g Salt, plus more to taste
- 200 g White Vinegar
- 100 g Sugar
- 15 g Mustard Powder, (dry mustard)
- 15 g Mustard Seeds
- 3 g Ground Turmeric
Instructions
- Add the trimmed cucumber, bell pepper, and onion to the food processor and pulse to a fine dice. Transfer the chopped vegetables to a large colander over the sink and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to combine and let drain for at least 30 minutes. Be prepared for a lot of liquid to come out!
- Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard powder, mustard seeds, and turmeric in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the mustard seeds. If the vegetables aren’t ready by this point, you can just turn the heat off.
- Prepare your jars by pouring boiling water inside and letting them sit for a few minutes before carefully emptying them out. Alternatively, you could run them through a hot dishwasher cycle to sterilize.
- Once the vegetables are ready, add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until you like the consistency. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, sugar, or a pinch more mustard powder if you think the relish needs it.
- Using a stainless steel jar funnel and ladle, carefully fill the jars, leaving around 1cm head room at the top of the jar. Place the lids on and seal immediately. Leave the jars on the counter to cool, then transfer to the fridge.
Notes
- Adding the salt to the chopped vegetables and stirring releases a lot of liquid, so be sure to place your colander in the sink or over a bowl to avoid a lot of wiping up!
- Don’t run your food processor for too long, as you don’t want a vegetable puree. I think a bit of texture is key for this mustard relish.
- Turmeric and mustard powder can sometimes stain, so don’t use your favorite white or wood utensils unless you’re okay with them turning a pale golden color!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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