In many food cultures (India and Japan come to mind), the table is crowded with little dishes of relishes at every meal: spicy, sour, savory, and sweat relishes add more flavor to the meal and keep everything interesting (not to mention that they're often probiotic fermented foods). You might be eating relishes without even knowing it - if you've ever enjoyed a little pile of sauerkraut on the edge of your plate, or some salsa over fish, then congratulations: you were eating a relish.
A relish isn’t exactly the same as a sauce: sauces are liquid and smooth, but relishes have identifiable pieces of fruit or vegetables. Ketchup is a sauce made from tomatoes; salsa is a relish made from tomatoes. There’s some gray area in between, but overall a relish is something different.
Relishes can help make the meat interesting if you cook something like a chicken or turkey breast, especially if you need to add a little moisture or fat to make it tasty. They’re especially great if you’re on a diet that restricts certain types of spices, like an autoimmune protocol, because most of them are centered around fruits and vegetables, so they add a lot of flavor without forbidden spices.
Sounds pretty tasty, right? For your dinnertime pleasure, here are 30 delicious Paleo relishes, broken down by flavor: click to go to sweet, sour/tangy, savory, or spicy, or scroll down for all four.
Sweet (and sweet-tart)
Fruity or sweet salsas
Salsa is incredibly versatile and works as much more than a chip dip! Try it over fish, chicken, or burgers in place of ketchup. (If you’re looking for the more traditional, tomato-based salsas, they’re down under “savory”)
1. Mango + Avocado Salsa (Nom Nom Paleo)
2. Strawberry Ginger Salsa (Phoenix Helix)
3. {Paleo} Pineapple Salsa (Crave the Good)
4. Raspberry & Cilantro Salsa (Preppy Paleo)
5. Cherry, Basil, and Jicama Salsa (I Breathe I’m Hungry)
Chutneys & Other Sweet Relishes
Chutney is a traditional type of sweet cooked relish, originally from India; most chutneys are made out of some kind of fruit, with vinegar and spices (and sweetener, if the fruit isn’t already sweet enough).
6. Peach Mango Ginger Chutney (Stupid Easy Paleo)
7. Grilled (Pine) Apple And Red Pepper Chutney (Paleo Plan)
8. Spicy Plum Chutney (Not Just a Man’s World)
9. Spiced Cranberry Relish (Paleo in PDX)
Sour/tangy
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut goes especially well as a relish over pork or really anything fatty – the tangy flavor makes sure the meat itself doesn’t get overwhelming.
10. Basic sauerkraut (Paleo Leap)
11. Beet, Fennel, and Leek Sauerkraut (Pure Fresh Daily)
12. Indian-Spiced Curry Kraut (Rising Moon Nutrition)
If you like sauerkraut as a relish, also consider other fermented foods, like kimchi.
Other tangy relishes
Add a bit of bite to your plate! Any kind of pickles work perfectly as relishes (if you want to cheat a little, you can just buy store-bought pickles and chop them up).
13. Brussels sprouts capers (Urban Nettle)
14. Herb-Caper Relish (Paleo Periodical)
15. Tangy pickle relish (Paleo Effect)
Savory and Herbal
Savory Salsas
These are perfect over meat or fish, or as salad dressings.
16. Fresh tomato salsa (Cook Eat Paleo)
17. Fire-Roasted Salsa (Paleo Leap)
18. Radish & Cucumber Salsa (Rubies and Radishes)
19. Roasted Tomatillo and Fresh Cilantro Seed Salsa (The Nourished Caveman)
Other Savory Relishes
20. Coriander pesto (Penny Pinching Pescetarians)
21. Curry Apricot Relish (Cranking Kitchen)
22. Tomato and Olive Relish (Kalyn’s Kitchen)
Spicy
Spicy Salsas
There’s a salsa for everything! If you’re craving some heat, try one of these.
23. Spicy Pear Salsa (Colorful Eats Nutrition)
24. Lacto-Fermented Tomatillo Salsa (Domestic Soul)
25. Salsa Macha (REM Cooks)
Other Spicy Relishes
These relishes are great on any kind of meat: for lighter cuts they add flavor, and for fattier cuts they’re strong enough to hold up on their own and give you a nice contrast.
26. Spicy Cranberry Relish (Mark’s Daily Apple)
27. Red onion and Jalapeno Relish (Things My Belly Likes)
28. Pickled Onions (DJ Foodie)
29. Spicy Relish (Plaid and Paleo)
30. Apple-Horseradish Relish (Paleo Plan)
What do you use as a relish? And what do you put it on? Let us know on Facebook!
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