Calling all garlic lovers! Whether you spread it on a sandwich, dip warm bread into it or use it to top a steak, this Garlic Relish is full of garlicky flavor.
Several years ago, before we even had kids, we took a trip to San Francisco. One of our stops was of course the Stinking Rose- an icon in both San Fran and LA where everything is, you guessed it, laced with garlic.
Stinking Rose Garlic Relish
Lucky me, they have the recipe published right on their website so I decided to make it. It is so silly easy, but I must warn you that you have to like garlic. Like really like garlic.
And then be prepared to repel vampires for at least 30 days and maybe have your neighbors complain of the stink, because this garlic relish uses a whole head of basically raw garlic.
Raw Garlic?
Kinda… this relish recipe is a fusion of pickled foods with garlic confit and chopped like a relish. The vinegar takes some bite out of the garlic, but certainly leaves the majority behind for your enjoyment.
But garlic has a ton of health benefits, so carry on and keep eating! It’s linked to lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, improved skin tone and even stronger bones.
If you want to save a little time, you can usually find a bag of peeled garlic cloves in the produce section at the store, but do not use pre-chopped, jarred garlic for this one.
How to Make Garlic Relish
The process is simple and doesn’t require any cooking. Here is what you’ll need:
- Fresh Garlic– Do not, and I repeat, do not use jarred garlic. It is muted in flavor and hardly tastes like garlic.
- Flat leaf parsley- also known as Italian Parsley.
- Coarse Sea Salt
- White Vinegar– acidity helps to tone down the garlicky flavor just a bit and adds acid.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil– we are drowning the other ingredients and eating this, so use a good, quality brand when making your garlic relish.
- Chop the garlic. I find it much easier to throw it all in a small food processor and pulse it until coarsely chopped. Don’t just turn it on and walk around or you’ll have garlic pulp.
- Stir together garlic, parsley, salt and vinegar. Then pour olive oil over until it is sufficiently covered. Cover and allow to sit for at least 3-4 hours. If you want to reduce the potency of garlic flavors, allow the chopped garlic to steep in a small bowl of lemon juice for 15-30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
- Stinking Rose suggests storing it in the fridge, but honestly, the vinegar and salt are enough to perserve the garlic and olive oil will harden, so it is best to leave it out covered at room temperature.
Use your garlic relish within 5 days of making… if it lasts that long.
What To Use It On
This is a super verstile relish so this is just a short list of ideas.
- Spread on a sandwich or burger
- Salad dressing
- Part of a charcuterie platter
- On crostinis
- Top of a pan fried steak
- With pita bread
- On top of hummus
Let us know your creative ways to use garlic relish in the comments!
Storage & Make Ahead
The pungency of garlic will reduce a little as it sits, so if you prefer a slightly muted garlic taste, don’t eat it right away. I suggest letting the flavors marry for at least a few hours, so in that aspect, it is make ahead.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container. If you put it in the fridge or get it cold, the olive oil will solidify. It isn’t bad, but it will be pretty solid.
I do not recommend freezing this garlic relish recipe.
More Garlic Lovers Recipes:
Parmesan Garlic Pasta
Herb and Garlic Roast Beef Tenderloin Recipe
Best Garlic Parmesan Wings
Garlic Parmesan Olive Oil Bread Dip
Garlic Relish
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic , peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley , chopped
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2-3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, parsley, white vinegar and salt. Spread in bowl so the top is flat.
- Pour the olive oil over top until it is covered by olive oil.
- Cover and marinate for 3-4 hours before serving.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you for making this available for us. I LOVE the Stinking Rose relish and this is a VERY good approximation. Darn near perfect.
Should we be worried about botulism if we don’t refrigerate it?
If the garlic is suspended in oil, no.
Tried this on some fresh homemade baguette. Delicious! Definitely a great condiment to have around for just about anything.
Oh yes please! I love garlic and this relish looks incredible!
Love your vampire comment! haha! All joke aside though – this is a great staple to keep in my cupboard. Thank you for taking the time to write it up!
I am a BIG fan of garlic, so this looks perfect to me. I can’t wait to try it.
This is the kind of spread that gets better with time the longer it sits and marinates. I love the sound of it..perfect with crusty warm bread!