Romesco Sauce
Sweet, garlicky, smoky and lightly spicy, Romesco Sauce makes the perfect pairing for seafood, vegetables, steak, and chicken!
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Skillet
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 plum tomatoes
- 1 head garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup almonds blanched
- 2 slices baguette thin slices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika pimentón
- ¼ teaspoon ground red chili up to ½ teaspoon for spice, use ground ñora or ancho chili if possible
5-minute romesco sauce ingredient substitutes (see notes)
- 16 ounce roasted red peppers jarred, drained
- ¼ cup fire-roasted tomatoes drained
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced (don't use a whole head if you're using raw garlic!)
- keep remaining non-substituted ingredients the same!
Instructions
Roasting the Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cut an "x" into the top of each tomato. Place them on the baking sheet with the red bell pepper.
- Remove the peel, then slice the head of garlic in half through the cloves. Place the halves cut side-up on the baking sheet.
- Remove the outer layer of skin from the onion and cut it into wedges from the top. Don't cut all of the way through - keep it intact. Place cut side-up onto the baking sheet.
- Brush the vegetables with olive oil and place in the oven. Roast until soft and beginning to char, 25-30 minutes.
Toasting Almonds and Bread
- While the vegetables roast, place a small pan over medium-low heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Add almonds once hot then cook, stirring often, until they are golden. Remove to a plate.
- Add bread slices to the pan and toast until golden on each side. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Pureeing Romesco Sauce
- Once roasted, add the bell pepper to a bowl and cover for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, peel the skin from the bell pepper. Discard the stem and seeds.
- Peel the skin and remove the seeds from the tomatoes.
- Remove the skin from the onion and garlic.
- Place all prepared vegetables in the blender or food processor. Add almonds, bread, salt, vinegar, paprika, ground red chili, and remaining olive oil.
- Puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate! Enjoy!
Notes
If you're short on time and want to make your romesco sauce in about 5 minutes, you can replace some of the ingredients to save time:
- Use fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
- Use jarred roasted red peppers.
- Don't roast the garlic or onions.
- Add everything to a blender except for the olive oil and blend until the sauce begins to smooth. Mix the olive oil in gradually as you finish blending. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 760kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 11gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 45gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 1383mgPotassium: 905mgFiber: 8gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3982IUVitamin C: 110mgCalcium: 147mgIron: 3mg
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