Tex-Mex flavors are abundant in Austin, Texas and peppers play a key role. This Homemade Jalapeño Relish is a good example. This relish is unique, vibrant and is a great way to enjoy fresh jalapeño peppers.
Homemade jalapeño relish is a perfect condiment to add a burst of flavor to a variety of dishes. It's delicious on your favorite Mexican dishes including tacos, tamales, enchiladas, fajitas, huevos rancheros, migas, Mexican street corn and tortilla soup. Add some jalapeño relish to an omelet with shredded Oaxaca cheese. Use it to add some kick to hot dogs, sausages and hamburgers. Serve it with tortilla chips. Add some to your favorite queso. Mix some with a little sour cream and serve it with veggie sticks. It really is that versatile.
This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe by Lisa Fain in her book, The Homesick Texan. I modified her recipe for my taste but the original recipe was from Ms. Fain. Make a batch and discover how many ways you can use it to enhance your favorite dishes.
Try my other recipes for Fire Roasted Salsa Roja, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde and Tex-Mex Pico de Gallo.
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Ingredients
- Jalapeño peppers
- White onion
- Tomato
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh cilantro
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh lime juice
- Granulated sugar
- Fine sea salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Safety First: Use gloves when working with raw jalapeño peppers. These peppers can be very spicy and their oils will irritate your skin and eyes. Years ago, I diced a few jalapeños peppers bare handed. I didn’t realize that the oils penetrated my cuticles and fingertips. I probably washed my hands 10 more times that day. But the next morning, I washed my face and some of the oils released and got into both of my eyes. It was like getting hit in the face with pepper spray. Do yourself a favor and wear gloves.
Slice the tops off the jalapeños, then cut them in half lengthwise. Most of the heat is contained in the seeds and ribs. Remove them for a mild relish. Dice the jalapeños, onion, tomato and garlic and place them into a small food processor along with the cilantro, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, sugar and fine sea salt. Pulse a few times until the mixture is finely chopped.
Taste the relish and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Variations
This versatile relish is easy to modify for your taste. Want more color? Add another tomato. Want more heat? Leave the jalapeño seeds and ribs in. Want a different flavor? Try using serrano peppers. Want crazy hot? Add a habanero pepper. Good luck with that.
Equipment
The jalapeño relish in this recipe was made using a food processor. It could have also been made by finely dicing all of the ingredients by hand. Use a plastic cutting board that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. The oils from the jalapeños can linger on cutting boards.
Storage
Store leftover jalapeño relish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Top Tip
Remember to wear gloves!
Final Thoughts
This homemade jalapeño relish may well become your new favorite condiment. Try it on anything that needs a burst of flavor.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my some of my favorite dishes to serve with jalapeño relish.
📖 Recipe
Jalapeño Relish Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz jalapeño peppers stemmed and seeded
- ½ white onion medium, chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chpped
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs lime juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt fine
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse three times for one second each time. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with spatula then pulse three more times for one second each time. Adjust the salt to taste.
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