This rosemary and balsamic cranberry relish is a flavorful addition to any holiday feast. It is a savory relish that uses raisins to balance the tartness, making it naturally sugar-free!
Best of all, it is a quick and simple no-cook recipe! Instead of cooking, it involves a 24-hour ferment to blend the flavors. It’s really easy and reliable. Perfect for anyone new to fermenting.
If you would like a traditional cranberry sauce, check out my sweet fermented cranberry sauce.
Serving Cranberry Relish
While cranberries are traditionally thought of as a condiment served at winter holiday meals, this cranberry relish is perfect for all sorts of dishes.
- A sweet and savory sandwich spread, particularly delicious with cheddar cheese.
- Flavorful baked brie and cranberry appetizer.
- Fancy topping for hamburgers and hot dogs.
- We love it on veggie burgers!
- Served with a charcuterie board.
Fermented Cranberry Relish?
Don’t worry if this is your first time fermenting. This simple, 24-hour ferment doesn’t require any special supplies or equipment. It is a wild ferment, meaning that it will naturally ferment with the wild yeasts and bacteria that are in your home and on the fruit.
However, if you are uncertain about doing a wild ferment, feel free to add 2 Tbsp of starter culture instead of the balsamic vinegar. Add the starter culture and raisins into the blender with the rest of the ingredients. The raisins will provide the sugar required to feed the yeasts in the starter culture.
Here are a few starter culture options:
- Raw apple cider vinegar is probably the easiest option for first-time fermenters. Just make sure the bottle is labeled with mother or unpasteurized.
- Kombucha or other fermented beverages will add a bunch of flavor.
- Fermenting with raw honey is surprisingly not as sweet as you would expect. It is also really reliable for first-time fermenters. The trick is to find unpasteurized honey. Also, raw honey ferments are not recommended for pregnant women, children under the age of 1 year, or anyone who may be immunocompromised.
Want even more info? Here’s a primer on how to ferment.
Flavor Options
This savory cranberry relish is flavored with oranges, raisins, rosemary, and balsamic vinegar. However, these flavors can easily be swapped out to suit your holiday meal.
To change the flavor swap out the rosemary and balsamic vinegar for one of these alternatives:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon with cider vinegar
- 2 springs of fresh thyme with balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp of finely diced ginger with cider vinegar
Do you have a different suggestion? Share in the comments section!
Cranberry Relish
This savory and sweet fermented cranberry relish is flavored with rosemary and balsamic vinegar. It is perfect with turkey, brie or served in sandwiches. Raisins are added for a naturally sweet and refined sugar-free condiment.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Traditional
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For Fermenting
- 12 oz cranberries
- 1 orange (organic is best since this recipe uses the skin)
- 2 Tbsp shallot, diced (about 1 small shallot)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp chopped rosemary (see above for other flavor options)
Finishing Additions
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped raisins
Instructions
- Wash the orange well. Slice the orange into 8 pieces, and remove any seeds.
- Clean the cranberries and remove any that have bad spots or have started to wrinkle. You only want the best cranberries for fermenting.
- Place the orange sections (including the peel), cranberries, shallot, rosemary, and salt in a blender or food processor.
- Pulse until everything is evenly chopped. Don’t over chop, as this is a relish and it should have some texture.
- Scrape the cranberry mixture into a glass container. Cover with a tea towel or a coffee filter or a loose-fitting lid.
- Place the container in a dark location (like a kitchen cupboard) for 24 hours. If you want to ferment for longer, then you will need to stir it daily.
- After fermenting, stir in the chopped raisins and balsamic vinegar. Taste and add sugar or maple syrup if you feel it is needed (see the notes below for more details).
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.
Notes
- This cranberry relish is meant to be flavorful and tart. The sweetness comes from the raisins. However, if you want it to be a bit sweeter, add in a bit of your favorite sweetener. The relish will still be tart with up to a 1/4 cup of added sugar. For a sweet relish, you may need up to a 1/2 cup of sugar.
- If you are new to fermenting or would like more details about this ferment, check out the section above on fermented cranberry relish.
Keywords: Thanksgiving, Christmas, fall, winter, turkey, brie, vegan, gluten-free, keto, paleo, sugar-free, probiotic, healthy
Do you think that I can use an lemon instead of the orange
★★★★★
Yes, the orange there for the flavour. Enjoy!
Could I add the raisins before starting ferment? I’m a bit um…lazy and would rather do it all at once…Thank you! 🙂
Yes, that should be fine. I added them afterwards so I could use them for sweetness and thickness. You may need to include a bit of water if you have the raisins in the original ferment as they will soak up some of the liquid. Enjoy!
I have the cranberries fermented already to make the relish do i disgard the liquid in the ferment
★★★★
Hum… there’s no extra liquid in this recipe. You should just drain the cranberries from their fermentation liquid, then add all the other ingredients. I don’t think it will be too liquidy, as long as you drain the cranberries first.
Enjoy!