On every Swede’s hot dog
Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but this is a very popular relish used with various kinds of fast food. The name has nothing what so ever to do with Boston, it’s a recipe created by the Swedish food manufacturer Felix, to find use for the left over end bits of gherkins when they were pickled and jared.
My recipe is an adaptation of that of Fredrik Nylén, who runs the very popular blog Fredriks Fika. He uses ordinary onion and leek instead of shallots, but the first time I tried his recipe I had no leek at home, so I substituted and was so chuffed with the result that I simply continued using shallots.
Boston cucumber relish
There's nothing Bostonian about this relish, the original is even based on an Hungarian relish, but it's something every Swede has tried and most eat frequently.
Ingredients
- 800 g cucumber coarsly grated
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 3 medium sized shallots finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
Pickling solution:
- 3 dl caster sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 200 ml ättika 12% spirit vinegar, white vinegar, distilled vinegar
- 200 ml water
- 2 tbsp dill chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and grate the cucumber, rinse and finely chop the paprika and shallots, and mix in a bowl together with mustard seeds.
- Boil 1 liter of water and pour it over the vegetables.
- Let rest for 30 minutes, and then drain the water.
- Bring sugar, salt, vinegar, water and dill to the boil. Add the cucumber mixture and let simmer for 10 minutes. The mixture should be thick and runny, you may pour off any excess liquid.
- Pour into well-cleaned, sterilised jars and store in the fridge. Unopened jars will last at least six months.