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Tomato Relish in dish with jars in abckground.
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4.85 from 90 votes

Tomato Relish Recipe

A highly-rated and reviewed old fashioned tomato relish recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting time8 hours
Total Time9 hours
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Australian, British
Servings: 3 medium jars
Calories: 531kcal
Author: Libby Hakim

Equipment

  • 3 small jars (sterilised - you can use hottest cycle of dishwasher, if you have one, to sterilise)

Ingredients

  • 1 kg tomatoes (ripe, any variety including cherry)
  • 2 medium brown onions
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 ½ cups caster sugar (325 grams) (or any white sugar)
  • 375 ml white vinegar (1 ½ cups)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • ⅓ cup white vinegar (additional for combining powders and flour into a slurry)

Instructions

  • Peel tomatoes by soaking in boiling water for 2 minutes, draining off the water and then allowing to cool a little – the skins should split and easily peel off. (If not split, apply a little pressure or scratch at skin a little and it should peel off easily. If using cherry tomatoes, they should just pop out of their skin by applying a little pressure at the base of the tomato.)
  • Roughly chop tomatoes and onions and place in a baking tray. Sprinkle with the salt and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave out (at room temperature) overnight.
  • The next day, drain off liquid and place tomatoes and onion in a saucepan along with the sugar and vinegar.
  • Heat over medium heat, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Skim off any foam that forms on the top with a spoon.
  • Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add to saucepan and stir well to combine.
  • Continue to simmer for another 20 minutes (approx), stirring from time to time to break up the tomatoes and make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan and burn. The mixture should thicken to reach a jam-like consistency.
  • Pour into sterilised jars and place lids on jars. Allow to cool. Store in the fridge.

Notes

Storing: Jars of unopened relish can be stored in the fridge up to 6 months. Store opened jars in the fridge for up to 3 months. There is the option of "canning" this relish so you can store it for longer periods on the shelf in your pantry. However, you'll need to rely on your own knowledge of canning and preserving as the process is too extensive to cover here.
Freezing: Stored in an airtight container, you can freeze relish for up to 12 months.
Nutrition: The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Quantities: This recipe is based on 1kg of tomatoes and produces three small jars of relish. Multiply or divide these quantities as suits.
Tips: 
  • plan ahead and don't skip the overnight standing period (this removes the liquid from the tomatoes and intensifies the flavours)  
  • sterilise the jars (on the hottest cycle of a dishwasher is fine if you have a dishwasher).
Tomato selection:
You can use any type of fresh tomatoes, but fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes are packed with flavour and will produce a superior relish.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 4676mg | Potassium: 939mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 112g | Vitamin A: 2795IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg