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Spicy Relish Hot DogSpicy Relish Hot Dog
October 3, 2021 | Updated August 1, 2022 | Laura
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This green relish hot dog is spicy from the jalapenos and slightly sweet from the balsamic ketchup. The relish is simple and quick to make and consists of jalapenos, cucumbers, and cilantro. It's tasty on pretty much everything! Turn the balsamic ketchup into Frankenstein's stitches and have the perfect hot dog for Halloween or a Frankenweenie movie night recipe. However, it's delicious to eat any time of the year!
Spicy, Slightly Sweet, & Pickled
Today was all about the movie Frankenweenie. It just made sense that I needed to create a recipe involving a hot dog and the color green. So the spicy relish hot dog was created.
I quick-pickled jalapenos, cucumbers, and cilantro for the hot dog topping. Then to counterbalance the spiciness, I made a balsamic ketchup made for a little bit of sweetness. Of course I drew the balsamic ketchup on the hot dog in a way to resemble Frankenstein's stitches.
Spicy Jalapeno Relish Hot Dog Ingredients
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
✽ Jalapenos: I just can't get enough jalapeno flavor, and it's especially good on top of a hot dog. Keep in the seeds for a spicer relish or remove the seeds to tone it down some.
✽ Cucumbers: Cucumbers cut into half-moons really helps cool down those jalapenos and keeps this relish tasting fresh.
✽ Cilantro: The cilantro pairs so well with the jalapeno and really rounds out the flavors in the relish. If you are not a fan of cilantro, it can be left out.
✽ Vinegar + Water + Sugar + Salt: This mixture is heated up and will quick-pickle our peppers and cucumbers.
✽ Lime Juice: A little bit of fresh lime juice added to the pickling mixture will add such great flavor.
✽ Garlic: Of course, we gotta add some fresh garlic cloves to the mix!
✽ Buns + Hot Dogs: Or, as I like to call them, the carriers of the spicy relish.
✽ Balsamic Vinegar + Ketchup: A slightly sweet and tangy sauce that pairs perfectly with the spicy relish.
How to Make a Spicy Relish Hot Dog
➊ The first thing to work on is the relish. Combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until boiling.
Combine 2 thinly sliced jalapenos, 1/2 cup cucumbers cut into half-moons, and 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro leaves (loosely packed) in a medium bowl. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the peppers, cucumbers, and cilantro. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
The longer it sits, the better it will be. Once it reaches room temperature, cover and place in fridge until ready to use.
➋ For the balsamic ketchup, simply mix 1/4 cup of ketchup with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
➌ Heat up your hot dog weenies by either: 1) bringing a pot of water to a boil, reducing heat to low, placing weenies in the water, and cooking for 5 minutes or 2) grilling the weenies over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally.
➍ Place your cooked hot dogs weenies in some buns and top with lots of spicy relish and balsamic ketchup. If desired, draw the balsamic ketchup on the hot dog as Frankenweenie's stitches! Enjoy!
What to Serve with Spicy Relish Hot Dogs
✽ Avocado Margarita; If you want to stay with a Frankenweenie theme, try out this green avocado margarita. It's so creamy, a little bit spicy, and absolutely delicious! This green margarita with this green hot dog are perfect recipes for a Frankenweenie movie night.
31 Days of Halloween
This spicy relish hot dog is a part of my 31 Days of Halloween. For each day in October, I come up with a cocktail recipe and snack recipe that perfectly matches a scary movie, Halloween movie, or a fun spooky activity. Check it out for all of your Halloween snack and drinking desires!
Spicy Hot Dog Recipe: Questions
✽ What is quick pickling?
Quick pickling is also known as vinegar pickling. It doesn't require any special equipment and pretty much any vegetable can be pickled. These pickled vegetables won't have as much of a complex flavor as traditional pickled vegetables, but they are SO much faster to make and still great!
For the brine, a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water is used. Salt and sugar are also added for flavor.
You can use basic white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, and rice vinegar. However, stay away from vinegars such as balsamic or malt. You want the acetic acid content to be at least 5%. The acetic acid in the vinegar will prevent the vegetables from decaying so fast.
When a vegetable starts dying, they release enzymes which start to break down the vegetable. The acid in the vinegar will slow down that process and prevent bacteria from growing. This is a great way to use up veggies to prevent food waste!
✽ What is balsamic ketchup?
Balsamic ketchup is just simply ketchup with balsamic in it! You can make it really fancy by adding spices and/or honey, but I decided to keep it simple so it wouldn't mask the flavors of the relish too much. You can also make your own homemade ketchup if you prefer!
✽ What other flavorings can I add to the quick pickle?
Fresh ginger, ground spices, herbs such as dill, thyme, oregano, and rosemary, dried herbs, and whole spices such as mustard seeds, coriander, and peppercorns.
Spicy Relish Hot Dog
By Laura | Laura the Gastronaut
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Resting Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 hot dogs
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This green relish hot dog is spicy from the jalapenos and slightly sweet from the balsamic ketchup. The relish is simple and quick to make and consists of jalapenos, cucumbers, and cilantro. It's tasty on pretty much everything! Turn the balsamic ketchup into Frankenstein's stitches and have the perfect hot dog for Halloween or a Frankenweenie movie night recipe. However, it's delicious to eat any time of the year!
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
• 24 slices (~1/2 cup) cucumber, cut in half-moons
• 1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 6 all-beef hot dog wieners / franks
• 6 hot dog buns
Instructions
➊ In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and sugar. Cook over medium heat until boiling.
➋ Combine jalapenos, cucumbers, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Pour hot vinegar mixture over and stir. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. If not serving right away, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use. *You can also store in glass jars if planning on saving some of the vegetables for a later use.*
➌ For the balsamic ketchup, stir ketchup and balsamic vinegar together in a bowl until well combined.
➍ Heat up hot dog wieners/franks by: 1) Bringing a pot of water to a boil, reducing heat to low, placing hot dogs in water, and cooking for 5 minutes or 2) Grilling the hot dogs over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally.
➎ Place hot dog wieners in buns and top with relish and balsamic ketchup. If desired, draw balsamic ketchup to resemble Frankenweenie's stitches!
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Lunch & Dinner, Halloween, Beef Cuisine: American
Keywords: spicy relish for hot dogs, hot dog relish, spicy relish recipe, spicy hot dog relish recipe, frankenweenie hot dog, frankenweenie recipes, spicy hot dogs
More Halloween Recipes:
✽ Pumpkin Cheese Ball (adorable pumpkin-shaped cheese ball filled with white cheddar and pumpkin puree)
✽ Drunken Shrimp Cocktail (Beetlejuice-inspired recipe- delicious shrimp cocktail filled with booze)
✽ Halloween Snack Board (this tray has all of the yummy Halloween snacks)
→ Check out all of my Halloween recipes!
Bon appétit!
October 3, 2021 by Laura Ehlers
*This Spicy Relish Hot Dog blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.