What's included in a relish tray?

A traditional relish tray contains fresh and crisp vegetables and pickles, such as raw carrot and celery sticks, radishes, green onions and cornichons. Olives, almonds, fennel root and jicama sometimes accompany the more standard fare. A dip is not part of the dish.

The largest vegetable sticks should be no longer than 4 inches. Cooks trim carrots and celery by slicing each stick lengthwise into at least four pieces. Some relish trays display the julienne cutting style, which makes very thin sticks. Food preparers often remove the strings from celery and cut the radishes into rose shapes. All vegetables should sit in an ice water bath for 10 minutes before serving.