If you’re searching for an appetizer that’s easy, colorful, and totally irresistible, this relish tray recipe is the answer. Inspired by the classic veggie tray and the vibrant flavors of Mexican cuisine, this appetizer is a staple for every special occasion—think holiday dinners, summer BBQs, and especially 4th of July celebrations.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and additional success tips.
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This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Vallarta Supermarkets.
There’s something nostalgic and comforting about a relish tray on the dinner table. It’s the first thing guests reach for, packed with finger foods that are crunchy, tangy, and fresh. Think spicy candied nuts, jalapeño cheesy crackers, candied bacon, and more! And with Vallarta’s salsa bar and produce section, you can easily assemble a show-stopping tray with lots of choices.
4th of July Entertaining Tip: Make your relish tray extra festive for Independence Day! Use a red, white, and blue platter or napkins, cut cheese slices into star shapes with a cookie cutter or use festive toothpicks, and highlight red (radishes, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions), white (jicama, queso fresco, cauliflower), and blue (blue corn tortilla chips) ingredients for a patriotic touch.
What Makes This Special
- Classic Mexican flavors meet traditional relish tray favorites
- A rainbow of fresh vegetables, pickles, and cheese cubes
- Perfect for special occasions, holiday dinners, and summer parties
- Finger foods that encourage mingling and snacking
- Customizable with lots of choices from the olive tray or veggie tray
- No cooking required—just slice, arrange, and serve!
Mexican Relish Tray Ingredients
The beauty of this relish tray recipe is in its variety. Mix and match your favorites, this list is just some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Try an assortment of olives, crunchy raw vegetables, tangy pickles, and creamy cheese cubes for starters then have fun with it and add salsa, fruit, crunchy chips, the sky’s the limit. Shop Vallarta for the freshest produce, the best selection from their prepared foods section, and all your favorite Mexican ingredients.
Core Ingredients:
- Pickled jalapeños: (escabeche), sliced or whole or mini pickled peppers, or try my goat cheese-stuffed pickled jalapeños
- Fresh cut veggies: Sliced radishes (try radish roses for extra flair), cherry tomatoes, Fresno chiles, jicama sticks, cucumber slices (sprinkle with Tajín), carrot sticks, celery sticks
- Other pickled vegetables: Make a batch of my vegetable escabeche or pickled red onions
- Avocado: Fresh slices or guacamole
- Cheese: Queso fresco, pepper jack, or Manchego cubes. You can even get fancy and make your own homemade panela cheese
- Olives: Black olives and green olives
- Even more pickles: Butter pickles, cornichon, sweet pickles, spicy pickles or try my sweet cumin pickled radishes
- Baby potatoes: steamed or gently boiled then tossed with olive oil and salt
- Salsa (molcajete, salsa verde, or roja) in a small bowl. If you’re feeling really adventurous, make a batch of this delicious melon salsa
- Lime wedges
- Chips: Corn tortilla chips or chicharrones or chicharonnes de harina
- Coctel de camarón: Mexican shrimp cocktail (I buy this from Vallarta)
Optional Add-Ons: For even more color and flavor, tuck in dark plum or berries, pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), mini sweet peppers, roasted or pickled garlic cloves, or a few artichoke hearts. For a truly special occasion, add Mexican alegrías (seed or nut brittle) or pimento cheese, or oven-roasted jalapeño poppers. For 4th of July, try blue corn chips for a pop of color, or arrange the tray in stripes or a flag pattern for a festive touch.
How to Make It
You can make as much or as little as you’d like here. If you’d like to add some homemade touches you can:
- Steam or boil the baby potatoes
- Fry homemade tortilla chips (this is how I made the blue tortilla chips)
- Pickle a few things like red onions and some of the vegetables
- Whip up your own salsa and guacamole
If you’re not wanting to cook a thing, pick up everything you need at the store then begin by prepping all your fresh vegetables—wash, trim, and cut into sticks or rounds. Soak carrot sticks, celery sticks, and radishes in ice water for extra crispness, then drain and pat dry. Cube the queso fresco or Manchego cheese for easy grabbing, and prep your avocado or whip up a quick guacamole just before serving.
Arrange your ingredients on a large platter, cheese board, or classic relish tray. Place pickled jalapeños, red onions, olives, butter pickles, and salsa in small bowls. Fan out the veggies, cheese cubes, and chips around the dips, and tuck in lime wedges for a zesty finish. Scatter optional add-ons throughout for extra color—have fun with it!
For a 4th of July look: Use blue corn tortilla chips for a fun color pop. Arrange red (radishes, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions), white (jicama, queso fresco, cauliflower), and blue (chips, blueberries) ingredients by color or in a flag pattern. Cut cheese slices into star shapes with a cookie cutter or use festive napkins, and feature summer produce like watermelon or berries for a seasonal twist.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. Set out your Mexican relish tray just before guests arrive and watch everyone gather around—this is the appetizer of choice for everything from tailgating to holiday dinner!
This Mexican relish tray recipe is a celebration of color, crunch, and bold flavor—perfect for every celebration, from Sunday dinner to Independence Day. If you live in California, find everything you need at Vallarta Supermarkets!
More Appetizer Recipes
- Guasanas {Fresh Mexican Chick Peas}
- Elote Loco {Mexican Street Corn Wheels}
- Chipotle Lime Popcorn
- Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus
- Surf and Turf Nachos
Mexican-inspired Relish Tray
If you’re searching for an appetizer that’s easy, colorful, and totally irresistible, this relish tray recipe is the answer.
Ingredients
- 12-14 baby potatoes (I like to use colorful blue, red, or purple potatoes)
- Kosher salt, for seasoning
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 3-4 limes, cut in half for squeezing
- Fresh vegetables like cucumber, jicama, cauliflower, carrots, celery, radishes, avocado, baby red bell peppers, Fresno chiles, and/or cherry tomatoes
- Fresh fruit like watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, black plums and/or grapes
- Pickled vegetables like pickled jalapeños, vegetable escabeche, pickled onions, cornichons, pickled beets, and/or pickled peppers
- Cheese like queso fresco, pepper jack, manchego, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Tortilla chips, chicharrones, Takis, and/or blue corn tortilla chips
- 1-2 of your favorite salsas and/or guacamole
- Mexican sesame seed or peanut brittle, broken into pieces
- Olives
- Coctel de Camerón (Mexican shrimp cocktail), I purchase this from my local Latin market
Instructions
- Start by gently simmering the whole baby potatoes in a small saucepan filled with generously salted water over medium heat until fork tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half and drizzle with olive oil and lime juice and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash and cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut the cheeses into bite-sized pieces. I like to do a varitey of slices, cubes, and triangles.
- If you're frying your own tortilla chips like I did for the images, cut blue corn tortillas into wedges and fry over medium heat in a skillet with about 1/2 cup of oil until crisp on both sides.
- Arrange everything on a large cutting board or a relish tray. Serve!
Notes
- 4th of July themed board: Go with only the red, white, and blue(ish) ingredients and arrange by color or in a flag pattern. Cut slices of cheese into stars with a star-shaped cookie cutter. You could do the same with slices of jicama too.
- Variations: These are simply ideas, mix and match with your favorite veggies, pickles, and dips to make it your own. See post for other suggestions. Most importantly, have fun with it!
- Spicy or Mild: Adjust the heat by adding more or less pickled jalapeños, Fresno chiles, or spicy salsa. Offer a mild salsa or guacamole for guests who prefer less heat.
- Make Ahead: Prep all the veggies, fruit, and cheese up to 1 day in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Assemble the tray just before serving for best freshness.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 453Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 466mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 12gSugar: 20gProtein: 18g
Oh, wow — the requeson and pickles? Totally worthy of your grandmother’s gorgeous vintage dish.
Thanks! I certainly hope so!