This Turkey Relish Tray is a staple at our Thanksgiving dinner, and my kids look forward to it every year. This is a festive way to serve a light appetizer before the big Thanksgiving meal!
Many years ago, I saw a photo of a relish tray on Pinterest from Living Locurto made to look like a turkey. I thought this was perfect to serve before Thanksgiving dinner, where you don't want to serve heavy appetizers.
I have been making this tray every year, and it has now become one of my girls' Thanksgiving traditions!
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Celery
- Radishes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green olives
- Black olives
- Whole dill or sweet pickles
It is important to purchase a whole bag of celery that contains the leaves, as they will become the turkey tail.
Prepare the Vegetables
Wash the carrots, celery, radishes, and tomatoes.
Peel and slice the carrots into sticks about 3-inches long. Cut one piece of carrot down the center and about 2.5-inches long to serve as the turkey head. Cut two matchstick-sized pieces of carrot and two pieces about half that length for the turkey's legs and feet.
Cut the celery into 3-inch long pieces. If the celery is thick, you can cut each piece down the center as well. Chop some of the leaves off of the celery to serve as the turkey tail.
Chop the stem and tip off of each radish. You may use the radish whole, or cut them into thinner slices if you prefer. Cut one piece of radish into a wedge to become the turkey's "beak" and one thin slice for the turkey's "gobbler."
Assemble the Tray
Start by piling the radish slices to the right of the center of the plate. These will be the right side of the turkey's body.
The carrots, celery, and pickles will be the turkey's feathers.
Arrange the carrot sticks a the top of the plate toward the mid-point.
Arrange the celery sticks to the left of the carrot sticks.
Place the whole pickles to the lower left of the celery sticks, on the left side of the platter.
The olives and tomatoes will be the bottom and middle of the turkey's body.
First, lay the celery leaves down on the lower left side of the platter. The olives will be placed on top of the stems to hold the leaves in place.
Pile the black olives on the plate underneath the pickles, partially covering the celery leaves stems. Put a thin slice of black olive and then cut it in half so it's a curved shape. this will be the turkey's eye.
Pile the green olives to the right of the black olives and on top of the stems, filling the space between the black olives and radishes but leaving a hole in the center of the body where the tomatoes will go.
The point of placing these vegetables first is because the tomatoes will roll if you try to put them on the platter without first building a "dam" around them.
Pile the tomatoes in the hole in the center of the vegetables.
Arrange the matchstick-sized carrots toward the bottom of the turkey's body at the bottom center of the platter, with the two legs extending down and the two feet at a 45 degree angle from the legs.
Place the carrot slice with a flat side on the right side of the platter, extending up past the radishes, for the turkey's head.
Place the curved black olive slice on top of the carrot for the turkey's eye. Place the radish wedge near the top of the carrot head for the turkey's beak, then put the thin slice of radish underneath the beak parallel to the head for the gobbler.
Finally, place a whole pickle underneath the carrot head to be an extension of the neck.
Cover the platter loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
📖 Recipe
Turkey Relish Tray
Ingredients
- Carrots (whole carrots)
- Celery (intact stalk with leaves attached)
- Radishes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green olives
- Black olives
- Whole dill or sweet pickles (or both)
Instructions
Prepare the Vegetables
- Wash the carrots, celery, radishes, and tomatoes.
- Peel and slice the carrots into sticks about 3-inches long. Cut one piece of carrot down the center and about 2.5-inches long to serve as the turkey head. Cut two matchstick-sized pieces of carrot and two pieces about half that length for the turkey's legs and feet.
- Cut the celery into 3-inch long pieces. If the celery is thick, you can cut each piece down the center as well. Chop some of the leaves off of the celery to serve as the turkey tail.
- Chop the stem and tip off of each radish. You may use the radish whole, or cut them into thinner slices if you prefer. Cut one piece of radish into a wedge to become the turkey's "beak" and one thin slice for the turkey's "gobbler."
Assemble the Tray
- Pile the radish slices to the right of the center of the plate. These will be the right side of the turkey's body.
- Arrange the carrot sticks a the top of the plate toward the mid-point.
- Arrange the celery sticks to the left of the carrot sticks.
- Place the whole pickles to the lower left of the celery sticks, on the left side of the platter.
- Lay the celery leaves down on the lower left side of the platter. The olives will be placed on top of the stems to hold the leaves in place.
- Pile the black olives on the plate underneath the pickles, partially covering the celery leaves stems. Put a thin slice of black olive and then cut it in half so it's a curved shape. this will be the turkey's eye.
- Pile the green olives to the right of the black olives and on top of the stems, filling the space between the black olives and radishes but leaving a hole in the center of the body where the tomatoes will go.
- Pile the tomatoes in the hole in the center of the vegetables.
- Arrange the matchstick-sized carrots toward the bottom of the turkey's body at the bottom center of the platter, with the two legs extending down and the two feet at a 45 degree angle from the legs.
- Place the carrot slice with a flat side on the right side of the platter, extending up past the radishes, for the turkey's head.
- Place the curved black olive slice on top of the carrot for the turkey's eye. Place the radish wedge near the top of the carrot head for the turkey's beak, then put the thin slice of radish underneath the beak parallel to the head for the gobbler.
- Place a whole pickle underneath the carrot head to be an extension of the neck.
- Cover the platter loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
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