Cranberry Orange Relish

The biggest difference between homemade cranberry relish recipes and cranberry sauce recipes is that sauces are generally cooked while relishes are usually served raw. Frequently, relishes also have less sugar, which makes them bracingly, refreshingly tart—a perfect foil for the richer elements of your Thanksgiving dinner. Both cranberry sauces and cranberry relishes are good candidates for being made ahead so that the flavors have time to merge and develop. (If your recipe has any fresh herbs, save those to add at the last minute.)

This classic old-fashioned cranberry-orange relish keeps things simple (no chopped pecans, onion, fresh ginger, or maple syrup necessary). It’s just fresh cranberries, orange zest and flesh, and sugar. There’s also a smidge of cinnamon, which rounds out the brightness of the relish with a little warmth. You can use frozen whole cranberries if you like, but do thaw them overnight before prep time comes around.

There are two schools of thought concerning how cranberry relish fits into the Thanksgiving meal. Some people like to just dab their turkey with a little bit, while others consider it a serious side dish for the holiday table. If your family and guests fall into the category of cranberry lovers, you may want to double this recipe. At any rate, leftovers work wonders on turkey sandwiches or dolloped onto crackers with cream cheese.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the November 2001 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online August 20, 2004.