Spicy Olive Relish

Although it has only a few ingredients and takes only minutes to pull together, it’s surprising how many uses you’ll find for spicy olive relish. Whir green olives, pickled peppers and onion in a food processor, add some mustard, and you have a condiment that adds a spicy, tangy, sharp bite to everything from grilled or roasted meats to burger toppings and hot dogs.

This olive relish isn’t quite as complex as the one used on a New Orleans-style muffuletta, but it’s still an excellent condiment for any type of sandwich. You can also punch up warm cooked beans with the relish, use it as a garnish for seafood or stir it into butter as a spread for warm, crusty bread. Recipe contributor James MacGillivray of San Marcos, California, likes it on toasted bagel bites!

Ingredients for Olive Relish

• Pickled hot cherry peppers: You’ll find plump, spicy pickled hot cherry peppers at the grocery store adjacent to the pickles and olives. If your supermarket has an olive bar, you might be able to find them there too.
• Pimento-stuffed olives: Look for green olives stuffed with little strips of roasted red pepper. It doesn’t matter what size you use since they’ll get chopped up anyway.
• Onion: Use a white onion for this relish, although a yellow or red onion will do in a pinch.
• Mustard: The recipe calls for yellow mustard, but you can also use brown mustard or Dijon.

Directions

Step 1: Make the relish

Place the peppers, olives and onion in a food processor. Cover and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the mustard.

Olive Relish Variations

• Try another acid: If you don’t love yellow mustard, make this relish with German-style brown mustard or a sharp Dijon. You could also use a favorite vinegar or lemon juice for acidity.
• Add crunch: After you process the relish, stir in some minced celery and toasted mustard seeds to add a bit of extra texture.
• Go full puree: If you’d like a smooth sauce instead of a relish, continue pulsing the dip in the food processor until it’s smooth. You could add some olive oil too.
• Mellow it: To take off some of the sharp edges, add a bit of honey to the mixture, or mix it with mayo, sour cream or cream cheese.

How to Store Olive Relish

Store olive relish in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to use screw-top glass jars or a snap-top container. Because it’s intensely flavored, keep the relish in glass rather than plastic containers.

How long does olive relish last?

Because nearly all the ingredients are preserved before they’re combined, olive relish has a nice long shelf life. You can keep it for a couple of weeks, provided you keep a careful eye out for spoilage. If the aroma changes or you notice bubbling, use it to garnish your compost bin.

Olive Relish Tips

How should you use olive relish?

Olive relish is a fab topping for fun hot dog recipes or easy hamburgers, or use it as a mix-in for classic mayo-dressed side dishes, including southern potato salad, old-fashioned egg salad and creamy coleslaw. If you want to get even more creative, stir a bit of relish into your best deviled eggs recipe, pop a bowlful onto a cheese or charcuterie board, or mix it into pasta sauce to make a twist on pasta puttanesca.