This rosemary and balsamic fermented cranberry relish is a flavourful addition to any holiday feast. It is so rich and delicious that it is a good all-purpose condiment for all sorts of dishes. See the section below for some suggestions.
For anyone who is looking for a more traditional cranberry sauce, check out my sweet fermented cranberry sauce.
Serving Fermented 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 savoury sandwich spread, particularly delicious with cheddar cheese.
- Flavourful baked brie and cranberry appetizer.
- Fancy topping for hamburgers and hot dogs.
- We love it on veggie burgers!
- Served with a charcuterie board.
Flavour Options
This savoury cranberry relish is flavoured with oranges, raisins, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. However, those flavours can easily be swapped out to suit your holiday meal.
To change the flavour swap out the rosemary and balsamic vinegar with 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
Fermented Cranberry Relish
This savoury and sweet fermented cranberry is flavoured 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
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary (see above for other flavour 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.
- Place the orange sections (including the peel), cranberries, shallot, rosemary and salt in a blender.
- 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 jar for fermenting. This is a wild ferment, so cover with a cloth or a coffee filter, not an air-tight lid.
- Ferment 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 honey if you feel it is needed (see the notes below for more details).
- Store in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.
Notes
- This cranberry relish is meant to be flavourful and tart. The sweetness comes from the raisins. However, if you prefer a sweeter relish then add in 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup of sugar, honey or an alternative sweetener.
- If you are uncertain about making a wild yeast ferment, feel free to add a bit of starter culture. Use 2 tbsp of cultured apple cider vinegar, kombucha or other fermented beverage into the ferment. Then skip adding balsamic vinegar after fermenting.
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!