Romesco
Ingredients
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- 3 ñora peppers – stemmed and seeded, soaked
- 2 cups water – boiling (for soaking)
- 12 ounces plum tomatoes – halved (~6 medium roma tomatos)
- 3 cloves garlic – unpeeled
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds – toasted
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts – toasted, skins rubbed off
- 1 ounce country-style bread – toasted
- 1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sweet paprika – use only if ñora peppers are unavailable
Instructions
1. Place the ñora peppers in a bowl and cover with the boiling water; soak until softened and pliable, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Arrange the halved plum tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a small baking sheet and roast until the tomato skins blister and the garlic is tender, 20–25 minutes; let cool slightly.
3. Spread the blanched almonds and hazelnuts on a separate baking sheet and toast until fragrant and lightly colored, 8–10 minutes; transfer the hazelnuts to a towel and rub to remove most skins. Toast the country-style bread until golden and dry.
4. Drain the ñora peppers, reserving a few tablespoons of soaking liquid. Scrape out the softened pepper flesh with a spoon and discard the skins.
5. Peel the roasted tomatoes and squeeze the softened garlic from the skins. In a food processor, combine the peeled tomatoes, roasted garlic, toasted almonds, toasted hazelnuts, toasted bread (torn), ñora pepper flesh, sherry vinegar, and fine sea salt; pulse to a coarse paste.
6. With the processor running, stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until the sauce is thick, orange, and emulsified, 30–60 seconds. If you did not use ñora peppers, add the sweet paprika and blend briefly to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, blend in a spoonful or two of the pepper soaking liquid to loosen.
7. Taste and adjust with more salt or a splash of sherry vinegar for brightness. Serve at room temperature with grilled fish, roasted vegetables, or calçots, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Romesco is a bold, rustic Catalan sauce known for its balance of sweet roasted tomatoes, toasty nuts, and gentle heat from dried red peppers. It’s creamy yet textured, thanks to ground almonds and hazelnuts and a piece of toasted bread that gives body. Sherry vinegar lifts the richness, while good olive oil emulsifies the sauce into a silky, brick-red spread that pairs beautifully with seafood, vegetables, and grilled meats.
Originating on the Mediterranean coast around Tarragona, romesco was historically served with fish and has since become a regional staple across Catalonia and beyond. Its core technique—rehydrating local dried peppers (ñoras), roasting tomatoes and garlic, and pounding with nuts and bread—reflects pantry traditions of preservation and frugality. While closely related to salvitxada, the sauce typically served with calçots, romesco has traveled widely and inspired many variants, but its Catalan roots remain central to its identity.