Bacon, Red Pepper and Caper Relish

This sticky, sweet, spicy and salty relish was great with our baked Alaskan cod...full of flavour, texture and colour against the fish.

I had three strips of bacon, half a red pepper and some open white wine to use, and this did the job nicely.

Cook over a medium heat until the fat has rendered, and it starts to crisp:

3 strips bacon, diced

Drain the majority of the fat from the pan and add:

1/2 sweet red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds





Continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften.

Stir in:

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine








Turn the heat to low, and cook until the vegetables are soft, and it has turned into a sticky relish. Add more white wine if needed, to avoid it drying out before the vegetables are cooked and the sticky consistency has been achieved. I added another 1/4 cup of wine during cooking.

Stir in:

2 tablespoons of capers, drained

Cook to heat the capers through.







Serve the warm relish on top of baked, pan fried or grilled fish.

• This relish is perfect with milder flavoured fish, or with chicken breast or pork tenderloin.
• The bacon and capers add a saltiness; the peppers and crispy bacon add crunch; the black pepper adds some heat; the wine and capers add a brininess / acidity; the brown sugar and slow cooked onions add sweetness and the fennel adds an unexpected licorice flavour in the background.
• The crispy bacon retains it's texture, but becomes sticky as it cooks down.
• Add chili flakes or cayenne pepper if you wish to increase the heat.