Tasty Spanish Romesco Sauce Recipe

It’s time for you to give your everyday food a twist, and start taking advantage of the magical flavors of Spanish sauces.

With just a few tablespoons, they can take a stew or pasta dish to another level, or if you choose to use it as a dipping sauce with bread then you will have the perfect Spanish tapas.

In this article, we will focus on the Spanish romesco sauce, a red, spicy sauce that once you try you will not be able to stop eating it.

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Background of the Dish

Legend has it that Spanish romesco sauce was created on the high seas, by a group of sailors who only had tomato, pepper, oil, and vinegar in their pantry.

They had to be ingenious to decide what their next meal would be, so to avoid famine they decided to cook the tomato with the pepper, and then mash it with the oil and vinegar.

It was such a success that they began making this very recipe on the mainland, and people immediately fell in love with it. 

Today, every meal can be enhanced with a dash of Romesco sauce.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Romesco Sauce

To make the romesco sauce you need tomatoes, different types of peppers, garlic, oil, and vinegar.

The necessary kitchen tools for this Spanish romesco sauce are simply a food processor or blenders.

Ingredients

• 1 chili
• 2 ñoras (or similar peppers)
• 2 slices bread
• 1 cup (250ml) olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100ml) vinegar
• 7 hazelnuts
• 7 almonds
• 1 head of garlic
• 3 tomatoes

How to Make Spanish Romesco Sauce – Step by Step Guide

1. To start with this romesco sauce recipe you have to soak the ñoras the night before so that they hydrate (or for at least 4/5 hours).

2. Then remove the seeds and save the rest.

3. Now preheat the oven to 200ºC and add the tomatoes for 20 minutes and the garlic for 15 minutes to roast.

4. Remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes, and also peel the garlic.

5. After that, toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a pan. You can make it just an almond romesco, but the hazelnut adds a great rich flavor.

6. After that, add all the ingredients to the blender or food processor, add the oil, vinegar, salt, and chili pepper and grind all the ingredients until you get a homogeneous mixture.

7. For the last step, check that the red sauce has the right amount of salt, chili pepper, and vinegar to taste since you can add more and blend if necessary. You can take the romesco dip to the fridge, or some people serve it warm.

Substitution of Ingredients

You can make some changes to this romesco recipe, but you must be careful that it does not end up tasting like the typical salsa de tomate since the point is that it is very spicy.

If you can’t find ñoras you can make this a bell pepper sauce, although we recommend that you use 2 or 3 red bell peppers (it’s a good option also if you don’t like something so spicy).

To make it creamier you can add 3 tablespoons of cream cheese or milk cream when it is ready, this will also reduce the spiciness (just a little).

If you were looking for other tasty sauces from Spain, you can try and make the Spanish garlic sauce and the Spanish mojo sauce.

Tips on Serving Spanish Romesco Sauce

Once you have finished making this romesco recipe you can use it for different things.

In the traditional version, this Spanish sauce used to be served over baked calçots, but nowadays you can serve it with whatever you want.

Another great combination is octopus with Spanish romesco sauce and you can use this red pepper sauce as a toast dip, or pour it on top of french fries.

You can even add this roasted pepper sauce to different recipes that call for tomato sauce or paste to give it a spicier taste (like any type of pasta, stews, or even pizza).

Try the romesco sauce with Spanish chorizo pasta, Spanish mackerel fillet or with toasted Spanish bread as well.

How to Store Spanish Romesco Sauce

To store this Spanish sauce you have to let it come to room temperature, and let it cool down as much as possible.

Then put it in a jar with a lid, and take it to the fridge where it can last up to 15 days.

The Spanish romesco sauce that you can buy in a store lasts longer because it has preservatives. Being homemade, it can only last 15 days.

Recipe Card: Spanish Romesco Sauce

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