Skip to main content

Cranberry and Walnut Relish

This image may contain Glass Drink Alcohol Beverage Wine Plant Liquor Goblet Wine Glass Fruit and Food
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott

With just a hint of sweetness, this bright, bracing uncooked relish is an antidote to all the saccharine jellylike cranberry sauces out there (unless you’re into that sort of thing).

Ingredients

1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 Fresno chile, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
3 tablespoons dried currants
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
½ cup walnuts
12 ounces fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries
⅓ cup chopped parsley

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Toast mustard seeds in a dry small saucepan over medium-low heat, rolling around in pan often, until seeds start to pop, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add shallot, chile, currants, maple syrup, vinegar, allspice, and ½ tsp. salt (mixture will sputter a bit). Stir well to dissolve salt. Let sit until currants are plumped and mixture is cool, 15–20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

    Step 3

    Pulse walnuts and cranberries in a food processor until very coarsely chopped but with a few whole cranberries in the mix, about 5 short pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and work in shallot mixture. Cover and let sit at least 30 minutes.

    Step 4

    Just before serving, taste and season relish with more salt; stir in parsley.

    Step 5

    Do Ahead: Relish (without parsley) can be made 4 days ahead. Chill.

Read More
An electrifying pesto that stays bright green for days on end. With the addition of ginger, and jalapeño, it’s a versatile condiment to have on hand.
This weeknight-friendly chicken dinner—made with pomegranate molasses and a toasted walnut relish—is inspired by the flavors of Persian fesenjan.
Roasty, bright, sweet, and pickly, this sheet pan salad—a vegetarian main OR ample side dish—checks all the flavor boxes.
Braising canned chickpeas in chicken stock and olive oil makes them unbelievably tender and buttery. This is worth the effort of peeling 40 cloves of garlic.
Aided by jarred bouillon paste and some spices, the flavor of this baked tofu is intriguingly complex, and good enough to eat on its own.
Everyone’s favorite pigs in a blanket goes Chicago-style, complete with celery salt, poppy seeds, and a cheeky cornichon.
This riff on the Laotian classic comes together in 20 minutes.
Stable enough to last days in the fridge (and hearty enough to sate a breastfeeding mom).