Corn Relish Fiesta

Summer is in full swing here in Raleigh, and what better way to celebrate than with a backyard barbecue. One of my good friends was gracious enough to have us all over to her place this past Saturday night for a 7 de Mayo fiesta. I wanted to bring a side dish that would compliment the Latin theme, but also wanted to use this as an opportunity to try a new recipe -  the ole' chips 'n salsa routine wasn't gonna cut it.

Saturday's Fiesta 

 A few weeks back I had sampled Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa, and absolutely LOVED it. I was surprised how much I liked it because I'm normally not a huge fan of corn in my salsa, but this stuff was amazing. I really had to hold back not to eat the entire jar in one sitting. But I really don't think you can even call this stuff "salsa", at least not by the typical American definition (salsa = "sauce" in Spanish). It's more like a relish.

Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa

A quick Google search of  "corn relish" will yield an assortment of recipes. The one I made was a combination of a few different recipes.


Madeline's Corn Relish
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped (canned diced tomatoes - drained and rinsed - would work fine too.)
1 serrano chile, finely chopped and seeds removed (next time I might leave the seeds in to give it more kick)
1 can of corn, drained (fresh or frozen corn works fine too)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar (cider vinegar works too)
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste


Directions: combine ingredients in a large bowl, transfer to sauté pan. Bring incredients to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes; drain excess liquid. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Tips: 

* Buying canned tomatoes instead of fresh is a great way to save money, especially when tomatoes are out of season. 

* Whole Foods is a great place to buy spices because (1) they have a HUGE selection of spices and (2) they sell spices in bulk, which means you only buy as much as you need, and don't have to pay the cost of the spice jar. Instead of paying $3-$5 per spice, you'll end up paying closer to $1 for the equivalent, or just pennies for the amount needed for one recipe.