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Spicy Corn Relish – a sweet and spicy corn relish terrific served on hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, sandwiches or even a cracker. This relish is also the perfect tangy topping for grilled meats and fish too!
Don’t let summer corn disappear before you’ve had the chance to make this delicious Spicy Corn Relish. Â We seem to be on a mission to see how many things we can put this relish on. Â Salads, sandwiches, or even our favorite cracker, it’s all good!
My mom would have loved this relish. Â She and my grandmother made relishes and chow-chow every summer. Â Chow-chow is another delicious vegetable relish often made with cabbage. Â Anything that could be pickled, they did it, even watermelon rind! Â If you love to “can” and “preserve” summer’s bounty, double or triple this recipe and you’ll be set for the whole year with jars and jars of relish. Â This recipe makes about 3 cups which is just right for our family.
Spicy Corn Relish will add that little something extra to all your grilled meats and vegetables, especially hot dogs!  I think my husband smeared some on a slice of bread and enjoyed a relish sandwich 🙂  He’s such a great taste tester.
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Spicy Corn Relish
Ingredients
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 3 cups corn kernels * fresh or frozen
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and chopped fine
- 1 small red chili pepper seeded and chopped fine (Fresno)
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- â…› teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper together in a large saucepan. Slowly add the vinegar and whisk to combine.
- Add the corn, peppers, onion, celery seed, turmeric, and mustard seeds to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the mixture has thickened slightly and vegetables are tender. Stir in the cayenne pepper and spoon or ladle the hot relish into jars leaving ½ inch headspace if planning to process in a water canner.
- Cool the relish and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Here’s a link to our favorite saucepan used when making this Spicy Corn Relish. Â I can’t say enough great things about this sauce pan. Â I use it almost everyday and the pouring spout is a lifesaver! Easy to clean, durable and just the right size too – love it!
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Looking for a few more corn recipes?  Be sure to try this delicious Corn & Zucchini Casserole and our Cheesy Corn Casserole with Jalapeños, it’s a real crowd pleaser!  And don’t forget about our Sweet Corn Salsa for all your southwestern recipes like tacos, burrito bowls and fajitas too!  I can’t wait to dig into this lovely Nantucket Corn Pudding from A Family Feast.  And what about this comforting bowl of Bacon Corn Chowder from The Cookie Rookie – yum!
I think I would love just about anything with corn in it, what a delicious vegetable. Â Thanks so much for stopping by! Â Hope you have a beautiful week and be sure to stop by Thursday for a terrific new recipe – also with corn!
Tricia
CA Lucarel
I know this is an older post, but first of all let me say that this sounds like it would be delicious, but secondly, since you are not suppose to can with cornstarch can you add the amount of sure-jel that it would take in the place of the cornstarch? I’m assuming you are using this as a thickener.
Tricia Buice
Hi Angie. You can use sure-gel if you want but I have not tested it so I don’t have the amounts needed. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Laura
How long do you water bath, if canning?
Tricia Buice
Hi Laura – I’m not an expert canner but believe 10 to 15 minutes is standard for relish. Good luck!
Marcelle/A Little Fish in the Kitchen
This looks delicious and I’ve already printed out the recipe! Yum! Can’t wait to try it on some grilled fish this weekend!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Marcelle – I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
Norman Mundziakiewicz
Can I get a recipe for just canned corn????
Tricia Buice
Hi Norman. I don’t have a recipe for just canned corn but here’s a link for a good site that might help – Whole Kernel Corn Pressure Canning
Amy @ The Cook Report
This looks amazing, I’ve just started making relishes and this one looks perfect for summer!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Amy – it’s so easy and has a really nice bite. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!
Susan
I can imagine how good this would be on grilled chicken too! Looks beautiful, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Susan!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
I can’t get enough of any relish. Your looks great and I am pinning it so I can make it soon. Have a great week!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gerlinde – hope you love it too 🙂
John/Kitchen Riffs
I’ve never made a relish sandwich but I can totally see the appeal! I’ll have to try that. 🙂 Love corn relish. I make a quickie version (a minute or two of cooking), but I need to try yours — really like the idea of using turmeric in it. Good stuff — thanks.
Tricia Buice
Haha – you must try one John! Love this stuff on a cracker – sweet and salty, crunchy and delicious!
Liz
We have been eating our weight in sweet corn lately and it’s time to pick up some more! Your spicy corn relish looks right up my alley! I’d love it on fish, chicken and even a block of cream cheese for a quick, yummy appetizer!
Tricia Buice
Yum! We could eat corn everyday ourselves 🙂 I’ll have to try this with cream cheese – makes perfect sense and sounds delicious!
Wendy
There is a lot of yummy stuff to eat on crackers in your kitchen lately! This relish would be delicious on, or along side, so many things. Fresh Iowa corn is available in the Midwest for another month (usually). This is a great way to use it! ( p.s. I had to ask my SC relatives what chow chow was when I saw it on a menu recently! Now I am more Southern condiment educated 🙂 )
Tricia Buice
Haha – we also love those crackers and just about anything on them! Iowa corn sounds incredible and I’ll always think of Field of Dreams and baseball! I’ll have to see if I can dig up an old recipe for chow chow – my husband loves it too. Have a great week Wendy and thank you!
Abby
Can this recipe be canned and shelf stable?
Tricia Buice
Hi Abby. I’m not sure as I’m not a canning expert. My mom, grandmother and mother-in-law all used to can relish, so in theory I believe it will do great!
Kelsey
Tricia, this relish is delicious! I saw it and I knew I had to try it…I used frozen small white corn and frozen yellow corn. My question is …if I used fresh corn off the cob, would I have cooked it on the cob first or would I have cut it off the cob and used it raw? The sweet tart was spot on, but my family thought the corn kernels too large…
Thanks for all the work you put into your site…it’s my go to recipe spot!
Tricia Buice
Hi Kelsey – thank you so much for the feedback! Yeah – glad you and your family liked it. You do not have to cook the corn kernels first if using fresh. They will cook enough with the other ingredients. Corn can be eaten raw but it is not recommended due to insects and worms that can hide inside. I like this relish because the kernels are still a little crisp and not at all mushy. Frozen corn may vary greatly in size from brand to brand so maybe shop around? If cutting the kernels off the cob, they may be smaller which could be the solution for your family. Relish, salsa, and other condiments like pico de gallo, all have a few larger chunks throughout. My family didn’t seem to mind the chunkiness in this relish. Perhaps you can rough chop it next time, more like a chow chow. Thanks again for trying this recipe – I love the sweet bite. And thank you for reading our blog! I’m thrilled to have you as part of our SRFD family 🙂
monique
Beauty colors!
Tricia Buice
Thanks 🙂
Pam
Your corn relish looks very delicious, Tricia! I have been addicted big time to Stonewall Kitchen’s Spicy Corn Relish this summer. Not sure how many jars I’ve gone through but it’s good and has a kick to it. I’ve never made it but now you have inspired me to do so! I love love the stuff and pickled watermelon rind also. My mom would’ve loved this too! Thanks for sharing! Take care and have a fun week!
Tricia Buice
I love Stonewall Kitchen’s products – absolutely smitten with all of them! Our moms sound a lot alike Pam – good people, great cooks 🙂 Thank you so much and happy weekend to you!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
I would mound this extra high on my grilled brats, in fact, not sure I’d need the brats at all, just hand me a big old spoon ~ pinning and sharing!
Tricia Buice
Sounds pretty great to me Sue! Thank you very much for sharing 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love corn relish. Such a delicious and versatile condiment! Your is so pretty and loving all the flavours you’ve packed in there 🙂
Tricia Buice
Haha – I just typed that in reply to Chris’s comment – it is perfect on everything and so delicious. We get started and can’t stop eating spoonful after spoonful! Thanks Jennifer
Chris Scheuer
I could eat my weight in this kind of relish. I know because I just did a corn relish as well and found it quite addicting! I love the unique spices in your version!
Tricia Buice
It’s great on everything isn’t it Chris? Such a versatile condiment! Thanks 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Sweet and spicy…a great combo of flavour, Tricia. I can eat the whole jar with a spoon :-))
Tricia Buice
It’s hard not to eat the whole jar Angie – we love this stuff … on everything 🙂 Thanks!