01
Dijon Mustard
6.71/2 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Tangy, works on hot dogs and burgers
6.7
pickle relish substitute
in omelet.
Diced Pickle Relish folded into an Omelet adds flavor and texture to every bite. The substitute should cook through at the same speed without releasing excess water.
top substitutes
adjustment for this dish
Dijon mustard is a smooth paste (vs relish's diced pieces) that will streak rather than fold into curds, so use 0.5 tbsp per tbsp and whisk it into the egg before the pan rather than dropping it onto the set edges. Its heat volatilizes fast at 250 F butter, so plate within 10 seconds of the roll or the mustard note flattens into nothing.
02
Tartar Sauce
6.71 tbsp : 1/2 tbsp
Mix with mayo for quick tartar
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Tartar sauce is 70 percent fat and will break the butter film on the non-stick pan if it hits heat, so use 1 tbsp per 0.5 tbsp relish and drop it on the curds only after you slide them off the heat but before you roll. The mayo stays cool in the fold and does not split, which relish cannot do.
03
Cranberry Sauce
6.71 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Sweet-tart, chunky texture
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Cranberry sauce carries pectin that stiffens when it meets the hot egg at 180 F curd temperature, so use 1:1 but warm it 15 seconds in the microwave to 100 F before it goes onto the fold. Its 14 g sugar per tablespoon also browns on direct pan contact, so keep it off the non-stick surface and away from the edges.
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04
Capers
6.71/2 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Chop finely; briny and tangy substitute
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Capers pop open under the tender curds and release concentrated brine at around 1200 mg sodium per tbsp, so use 0.5 tbsp per tbsp and crush them flat with the side of a knife to pre-release the brine onto paper towels. Pat dry before they meet the whisk, or the fluffy set weeps and tears on the slide.
05
Dill
3.31/4 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Fresh dill with splash of vinegar and sugar
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Dill is an herb with no fat and no brine, so use 0.25 tbsp fresh per tbsp relish and fold it into the egg whisk with 1/4 tsp lemon juice to restore the acid the relish would have carried. Add it when the edges just set to keep its volatile oils in the tender curd rather than blowing off at pan heat.
technique for omelet
technique
Pickle Relish in an omelet hits a 90-second cook window over low heat in an 8-inch non-stick pan, so the stand-in has to be diced to 2-3 mm and pre-drained or the curds will weep and tear when you roll. Whisk 2 eggs with 1 tsp water (not milk, milk toughens curds at these temperatures) and pour into 1 tsp foamy butter at the moment the foam subsides around 250 F.
Unlike the 55-minute bake that meatloaf gives the relish to mellow, the omelet gives 45 seconds on the heat before you fold, so the substitute must already taste like its finished self going in. Drop the substitute along the center third when the edges set but the top is still glossy, then tilt and slide the curds to the far edge and roll over the filling in two motions.
Keep the pan off-dead-center so the tender curds do not overbrown, and plate immediately. Residual heat pushes the omelet from fluffy to rubbery in under 20 seconds on a warm plate.
pitfalls to avoid
watch out
Don't add the substitute to the raw whisked egg before it hits the pan; the water it releases pools under the curds and you lose the tender fluffy set on the non-stick surface.
watch out
Avoid high heat; keep the butter at foaming 250 F and the burner on low, because a scorched pan edges makes the curds rubber inside the 90-second window and the fold cracks when you roll.
watch out
Don't pour the egg until the butter foam just subsides; pour too early and the butter browns, pour too late and the curds catch and tear when you try to slide them.
watch out
Skip milk in the whisk and use 1 tsp water per 2 eggs instead; milk proteins toughen curds at omelet temperatures and flatten the fluffy texture you want on the plate.
watch out
Reduce the substitute quantity by 25 percent versus what you would put in a pasta toss; the concentrated 45-second cook magnifies brine and overwhelms the quick, delicate egg base.