Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This easy recipe combines fresh summer flavors in a bright and tangy relish that’s perfect for pairing with chicken, hot dogs, and veggies for your next barbecue or meal prep!
Y’all, after 7 years of having it nested in another older recipe card, I finally decided to give this Pickled Corn Relish recipe a post of its own! I’ve made it as part of my meal preps a bunch of times already this summer and always love how fresh and bright it is. It’s a perfect match for my Grilled Adobo Chicken (another recipe getting its own spotlight soon!) and I even tried it on hot dogs this summer too (scroll down to see pics!). I really think quick pickling is an underrated method for prepping veggies. They turn out so bright and crunchy and refreshing, and they really only need a couple hours in the pickling liquid to get that way. Don’t sleep on it!
serve it with:
Grilled Adobo Chicken
This spicy grilled chicken is made with an easy chipotles in adobo based marinade. Perfect for changing up weeknight chicken!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Pickled Corn Relish recipe:
- Corn – I actually prefer frozen corn kernels to grilling it on the cob and cutting it off from the cob. Because the corn is getting lightly pickled, the difference in flavor isn’t detectable enough to make it worth the extra trouble.
- Red bell pepper – This is as much for the color as it is the flavor! Turns out I love pickled red bell pepper, what can I say.
- Jalapeño pepper – Gives just a touch of spice to the mix, but because it’s pickled, it doesn’t bring any real heat.
- Red onion – Pickled red onions by themselves absolutely slay, so don’t skip them here!
- Cilantro – I like cilantro here as an herby finishing touch to the corn relish, but if you’re not a fan or forgot it, it’s not a huge deal to skip it.
- Garlic – The garlic is great in here, but I’ll be honest – sometimes I skip it because I don’t want the hassle of mincing garlic.
- Apple cider vinegar – I prefer ACV for pickling here because it’s a touch sweet and not too overpowering. White wine vinegar would also work if you don’t have any ACV on hand.
- Sugar – Just use the regular granulated stuff here. Don’t skip it! A little sweetness is key to a good pickling liquid.
- Salt – Another non-optional ingredient, salt is one of the keys to a good pickling liquid.
- Seasoning – I used a bit of garlic seasoning and black pepper, but TBH these are not absolutely necessary since there’s so much other flavor happening in the relish.
pickled corn relish
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this corn relish almost like a salsa over grilled meats. You can also serve it as a punchy side kick to summer dishes. It will definitely make veggies more exciting!
- On top of burgers or hot dogs
- Over grilled meats like Grilled Adobo Chicken
- Paired with Grilled Summer Veggies
For these hot dogs, I added Pickled Corn Relish, chipotle mayo, and crumbled queso fresco. It would also be amazing with crumbled cotija cheese, which is kind of like a Mexican parmesan – it’s more funky and salty than queso fresco. Either way, it’s giving Mexican street corn vibes, but I think the tangy brightness of the relish is actually an even better pairing with the hot dogs than a creamy street corn topping.
Shop for This Recipe
One batch of relish fits perfectly in my favorite wide mouth jars pictured below or 32 oz mason jars like this. The Weck jars have a wide enough opening that I usually build the relish right in the jar, starting with the pickling liquid.
Pickled Corn Relish
Ingredients
- 2 cups corn kernels, (340 grams)
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced (57 grams)
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced (58 grams)
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (15 grams)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (8 grams)
- 3/4 cup water, (6 oz)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, (4 fl oz)
- 2 tbsp sugar, (25 grams)
- 1 tsp salt, (6 grams)
- 1/2 tsp Flavor God Garlic Lovers Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add 2 cups corn kernels, 1/2 cup red onion, 1/2 medium red bell pepper, 1 jalapeño pepper, and 2 cloves garlic to a bowl. Set aside.
- Bring 3/4 cup water almost to a boil, then add 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and stir until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp Flavor God Garlic Lovers Seasoning, and 1/4 tsp black pepper and stir.
- Pour pickling liquid over corn mixture and mix, then push the corn mixture under the liquid as much as possible. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Before serving corn relish, stir in 1/4 cup cilantro.
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Nutrition Information
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