A recipe for quickly made relish with garden fresh heirloom tomatoes and peppers along with a few splashes of vinegar and other ingredients. Great for topping steaks, burgers or other grillers. Summertime awesomeness!

I was cooking up a tri-tip roast very recently for an article I'm doing for "Chile Pepper Magazine" and I wanted a quick sauce for dipping those tender ribbons of steak into. Nothing elaborate, just something quick and fresh, with a bit of vibrancy to it.
The thing about tri-tip steaks is, if you season and cook them right, you really do not need a sauce. In fact, tri-tip purists (YES, they do exist) insist that sauce is a big NO-NO. But hey! I'm a tri-tip lover and if I want a sauce, I'll have a sauce! Besides, this isn't REALLY a sauce anyway. It's a zingy relish.
To be more precise, Quick Tomato-Pepper Relish.
I love a quick relish for MANY a recipe. I also love that I can walk into my backyard this time of year and snatch a few items from my pepper and tomato plants and whip up something like this on a whim. If you're grilling any sort of meats, this recipe is something to consider.
It has just a bit of poppy zing with the vinegar, and you can always increase that zine by upping the amount of vinegar you incorporate. You can also up that zing factor with your choice of chili peppers
I picked a Georgia Flame this time because the plant is going crazy right now. They aren't very hot, though you can use other, hotter peppers if you're looking for something with blast. I think a ratio of 2 tomato to 1 pepper by weight is a good balance.
I used a very large Yellow Azoychka heirloom tomato (say that 10 times fast! haha, bet you just tried!), hence the yellow color of the resulting relish. I LOVE this color tomato, and if you care about presentation, it will look attractive drizzled over the top of your steak.
Use this on any grilled foods, though, not just steak. It's great spooned over brats and sausages, spread over cheeseburgers instead of ketchup, drizzled over grilled chicken or fish. You know I'll be using it soon on some salmon. #MikeLikesSalmon - See our Seafood Recipes and you'll understand.
Time to fire up that grill and get the relish ready! It's ready in about 15 minutes or less, from the time you pick the garden. Don't you love it? Enjoy!
Check Out These Other Popular Pepper Relish Recipes
- Sweet Pepper Relish
- Chile-Cucumber Chow Chow
- Hot Pepper Relish
- Green Tomato Relish
- Tomato Chutney
- Green Tomato Chutney
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Quick Tomato-Pepper Relish – Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized chili pepper chopped – I used a Georgia Flame from my garden
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound tomatoes chopped – I used Yellow Azoychka Heirlooms, but any will do
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Cooking Directions
- Heat a pot to medium heat and add pepper, onion, ginger and garlic with the olive oil. Stir and cook about 5 minutes, until the mixture softens.
- Add tomatoes and break apart with a wooden spoon. Cook another 5 minutes, then add vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Everything will break down. You can simmer longer for more developed flavor.
- Cool and serve!
Nutrition Information

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