American · Side · Easy
Cranberry Orange Relish
A raw, bright relish of cranberries, whole orange, and a little sugar, chopped fine and served cold. It cuts through all the rich food like sunshine.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Cranberry Orange Relish, in 5 ideas
- The whole orange, peel and all, gives the relish its perfume and gentle bitterness.
- Pulse, never puree. The relish should have texture, like a fine confetti.
- Time is an ingredient here. Freshly made it is harsh, by tomorrow it is harmonious.
- It is raw, so it brings a fresh, cold contrast nothing else on the table offers.
- Leftovers are gold on turkey sandwiches with a swipe of mayonnaise.
What you need
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 large navel orange, unpeeled and quartered
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 tbsp orange liqueur or orange juice
- Pinch of salt
How to make it
Directions
- Rinse the cranberries and pick out any soft ones. Cut the orange into quarters and remove any seeds, leaving the peel on.
- Pulse the cranberries and orange quarters in a food processor in short bursts until finely chopped but not pureed. Work in two batches if needed.
- Scrape into a bowl and stir in the sugar, walnuts if using, the liqueur or juice, and the salt.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the sugar dissolves and the sharp edges mellow.
- Stir once more, taste for sweetness, and serve cold in a small glass bowl.
Make this on Tuesday. It keeps a full week in the fridge and genuinely improves every day, which makes it the easiest win on the whole menu.