01
Dijon Mustard
6.71/2 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Tangy, works on hot dogs and burgers
6.7
pickle relish substitute
in soup.
Pickle Relish simmered in Soup adds body, flavor, and nutrition to every spoonful. The substitute should cook down at a similar rate and add comparable texture.
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adjustment for this dish
Dijon mustard's acid volatilizes fast at 185 F simmer temperature (relish holds a bit longer), so use 0.5 tbsp per tbsp and stir it in at minute 40 of a 45-minute cook rather than minute 35. Its mustard oil also emulsifies with aromatics and thickens the broth by roughly 5 percent, giving real body without a blend.
02
Tartar Sauce
6.71 tbsp : 1/2 tbsp
Mix with mayo for quick tartar
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Tartar sauce at 70 percent fat will pool on the broth surface if added straight, so use 1 tbsp per 0.5 tbsp and stir it into a 1/4 cup ladle of warm broth first to temper and emulsify before it goes back into the pot. Skim only once more at minute 38 to keep the body clear.
03
Capers
6.71/2 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Chop finely; briny and tangy substitute
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Capers at 1200 mg sodium per tbsp stack salt into a 45-minute reduction fast, so use 0.5 tbsp per tbsp and skip any salt correction until the soup is off the heat and rested 5 minutes. Stir them in whole at minute 40 so each spoonful hits a caper rather than a uniform brine wash.
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04
Cranberry Sauce
6.71 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Sweet-tart, chunky texture
6.7
adjustment for this dish
Cranberry sauce's pectin thickens the body by roughly 10 percent more than relish does, so use 1:1 and cut any starch slurry by 1 tsp per quart so the soup still pours rather than gels. Its 14 g sugar per tbsp also needs a bay-leaf balance, so add a second bay at minute 20 of the simmer.
05
Chutney
3.31 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Mango or green chutney; sweeter and fruitier
3.3
adjustment for this dish
Chutney brings fruit pulp that settles to the bottom of the pot if unattended, so use 1:1 and stir every 2 minutes between minute 35 and service. Its depth of spice adds aromatics the relish never carried, so cut the saute onion by 1/4 to avoid stacking the warm flavor past the broth's body.
06
Dill
3.31/4 tbsp : 1 tbsp
Fresh dill with splash of vinegar and sugar
3.3
technique for soup
technique
Pickle Relish in soup is a late-add acid and body agent that goes in during the last 8-10 minutes of a 45-minute simmer, because longer exposure at 200 F volatilizes its sharpness and leaves only salt. Saute the aromatics (diced onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf) in 1 tbsp oil for 4 minutes to build a savory base before you pour in 6 cups of stock and bring to a bare simmer at 185 F.
Unlike the salad version where the stand-in must stay cold and raw, soup expects the substitute to reduce, season, and give up its flavor to the broth while the soup thickens by roughly 15 percent through evaporation. Skim foam at minute 15 and again at minute 30, stir in the substitute at minute 35, and taste for depth before any salt correction.
The brine typically lands you within 200 mg sodium per cup. Blend only if the recipe calls for it; otherwise keep the broth clear so you can see the warm garnish float.
pitfalls to avoid
watch out
Don't add the substitute at the start of the simmer; stir it in at minute 35 of a 45-minute cook so its acid does not boil away and leave only salt in the broth.
watch out
Avoid skipping the skim at minute 15 and 30; foam traps aromatics at the surface and the soup loses its depth if you let the proteins coagulate into the warm liquid.
watch out
Don't salt before you taste the substitute in the broth; the brine typically brings 200 mg sodium per cup, and pre-salting turns the body flat and unrecoverable.
watch out
Reduce the stock by no more than 15 percent through evaporation; longer simmers concentrate the substitute's salt past the palate while the bay leaf bitters the reduction.
watch out
Skip blending when the recipe calls for a clear broth; pureeing the substitute muddies the body and hides the warm garnish you meant to float on top.