Homemade Romesco Sauce

Many believe romesco hailed from a recipe that dates back to the Roman stronghold of Tarraco (modern-day Tarragona), making it one of Europe’s oldest sauces. It’s most frequently served with fried fish, grilled meats and vegetables, and, of course, at the springtime open-air feast, the calçotada.

Which brings us to salvitxada, or calçot sauce. (We're not even going to talk about xató sauce...) The terms are often used interchangeably by locals, so you'd be excused for not knowing that there are differences (if somewhat subtle), but in some circles these differences are hotly debated.

So, What Are the Differences?

Some insist that the romesco sauce is spicier, using raw garlic in place of roasted, the pebrot xoricero pepper instead of the sweeter nyora peppers, and that it is not as thick and chunky as calçot sauce. While others insist that romesco sauce is actually thicker and coarser than calçot sauce.

Confusing, right?

A quick internet search will tell you that there isn't anything close to a consensus. For both of these sauces, the basic ingredients are pretty much the same but with widely varying amounts of each of the ingredients. Some use loads of nuts while others use comparatively small quantities. There is some debate about whether or not to roast the garlic and a bit of quibbling over the use of vinegar and, in some cases, if bread should be used at all.

Like so many traditional recipes that pass down through the generations, each family has it's own. Some sauces are thicker, and some thinner. Some spicy, some not. I admit I am among those who tend to commit the great sin of using the terms "romesco sauce" and "calçot sauce" interchangeably, and the recipe I use seems to straddle the narrow divide. It is simple, using standard store-bought ingredients, and I encourage you to modify it to suit your taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 150 g toasted almonds
• 100 g toasted hazelnuts
• 8-10 roasted red tomatoes
• 1 head roasted garlic
• 2-4 dried nyora peppers (see note below)
• 1-2 thick slices of day-old bread, toasted
• olive oil
• salt
• white or red wine vinegar (optional)
• 4-5 springs parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)

METHOD

1. The night before, cover the dried nyora peppers with water to re-hydrate.
2. Start by toasting the nuts in a low-heated oven (about 150ºC / 300ºF) until lightly toasted, then set aside. If the almonds and hazelnuts still have their thin skins, remove them once they have cooled.
3. Heat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF). While it heats, peel only the outer layers from the garlic, keeping it intact. Cut just the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. Wash tomatoes and cut in half. Brush with olive oil and place in a pan together with the garlic. Roast the tomatoes until their skins are charred, about 20 minutes. Continue roasting the garlic until it is soft; it may take an additional 10-20 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes are cooling, drain the water from the nyora peppers, discard the seeds and with the edge of a spoon, gently scrape the peppers' flesh from the thin skin.
5. When the tomatoes have cooled, remove the skins and discard.
6. When the garlic has cooled, squeeze the cloves from their skins. (You may not want to use the whole head in the sauce, so only squeeze out what you need and save the rest for another dish.)
7. Crush the almonds and hazelnuts. traditionally this is done with a mortar and pestle, but a food processor or blender works well too. Be sure not to grind the nuts too finely—the final texture should still be somewhat coarse.
8. Add the bread and crush with the nuts.
9. Add the flesh from the from the nyora peppers, the tomatoes, a splash of olive oil, a pinch of salt, the parsley and as many of the roasted garlic cloves as you like, and blend together.
10. You can adjust the flavor and texture by adding more olive oil if the sauce is too thick. Some people like to add vinegar, others find the idea scandalous. What kind you use and how much you add depends on both your own personal taste preferences, and the quality of vinegar used.

About Nyora Peppers

Nyora peppers are a sweet variety of the Capsicum annuum peppers. First brought to Spain by Columbus, they are primarily cultivated in Valencia and feature predominately in the region's cuisine, but they can be hard to find outside of Spain. It is the same pepper used to make paprika, so if you can't get your hands on it, you can try substituting sweet paprika powder (not smoky, or hot) for the nyora peppers. But, be sure to use a good quality paprika; some of the cheaper options available are of such low quality that they offer little more than added coloring.

Originally published January 18, 2018, updated January 15, 2023.