Although it seems odd to eat raw cranberries, chopped into this uncooked cranberry-orange relish, they are delicious. The tartness of the cranberries is balanced by the sugar and the citrus flavors (of cranberries and oranges) meld perfectly after the relish rests for just a short period.
If you have never had this relish, suspend whatever prejudices you might have against uncooked cranberries and try it. While the taste is intense, if you like citrus fruits, I think you’ll find the flavor enticing.
Making the relish is incredibly simple – all you do is chop the cranberries together with orange zest and hunks of the fruit. You will need a food processor (there simply is no other way to chop the fruit), but the whole process takes only a few minutes and the result is quite tasty.
The relish has just 3 ingredients – cranberries, sugar and a navel orange, so the taste is heavily dependent on using a flavorful and juicy navel orange. If you open one up to use in this relish and it isn’t juicy and deep orange, consider putting it aside for a different purpose and finding a better one.
Along with plain cranberry sauce and cooked cranberry apple sauce, this relish has been a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners for years. I eat the leftovers in sandwiches and with yogurt. Sometimes, I even put it on top of brie or camembert cheese spread on a piece of baguette or a cracker. It is also delicious with vanilla ice cream or with a sweet, pound cake-type coffee cake.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
|
- 1 bag cranberries (12 ounces)
- 1 navel orange
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup white sugar
Ingredients
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|
- Rinse and drain the cranberries.
- Grate the orange peel (the zest) taking care not to grate the white part below the skin. Discard the white part (called the “pith”) and break the orange into sections.
- Put the orange zest, orange sections, cranberries and sugar in a food processor and pulse them until the mixture is chunky, but without large pieces of either orange or cranberry.
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours before serving.
Patty says
Ive made a recipe similar awhile back but cant find it with the uncooked cranberries and only the zest of the orange and fresh pineapple that was great too. I wish i could find it!
Laura says
Sounds wonderful – using pineapple is probably a good way to minimize or eliminate the added sugar.
Patricia. Fleming says
Minus the sugar and add crushed pineapple?
Laura says
Sure, why not? I’ll have to try it that way.
Jeri Reno says
You can mix a small amount with whipped cream or whipped topping to put on anything or you can use it plain on toast,um um good
Colette illies says
Cranberry relish with pineapple and apples
1cup chopped cranberries
1 orange chopped with peel
1 cup chopped apples
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 sugar or less
This also freezes welll
This was my mother’s recipe
It also freezes well
Laura says
What a great recipe – I’ll have to try it. What is “1 sugar or less”? Does that mean 1 cup sugar or less? Thanks
Jane says
Great with honey instead of sugar. Love to add pineapple to mine and orange zest (adaptation from my moms recipe). Wild frozen blueberries would be beneficial
And tasty also.
Laura says
Jane, Thanks for the ideas – just made my batch for this year. Some people use a bit less honey than sugar – did you adjust the amount of honey? Love the pineapple addition. (My version uses orange zest too.) I can’t find wild blueberries around here – in the city – this time of year, but if I could, I would surely add them too.
Lynn says
My diabetic mother and I absolutely LOVE this at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I use a little sugar and honey. I also add a little fresh grated ginger. DELICIOUS!!!
Laura says
Glad you like it. I’m a huge ginger fan, so next time I’m going to add fresh (grated) ginger – you’ve given me new ginger inspiration. Thanks.