Why it’s so good!
Romesco sauce is an incredible condiment. It’s rich, complex, and outright delicious. Also known as salsa romesco, it’s slightly sweet thanks to the roasted red peppers and tomato paste, nutty from the toasted almonds, and tangy too. It goes with just about anything, from roast veggies and roast chicken to grilled steak and even seafood.
I discovered this tomato and pepper sauce years ago when eating out. I had it with roast chicken breast and was immediately hooked. Ever since, I’ve been perfecting my recipe for romesco sauce and now I’m thrilled to share it here.
This is one of those recipes that you’ll want to make often so you always have some on hand. Fortunately, it comes together with very simple, mostly shelf-stable ingredients and very little time!
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What is romesco sauce?
Romesco sauce (known in Spanish as salsa romesco) is a condiment that originated in Catalonia, Spain. It’s typically made with roasted peppers and fire-roasted tomatoes, nuts, garlic, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. It’s nutty, creamy, and tangy all at once — and absolutely delicious.
To speed things up, my version calls for jarred roasted peppers, and rather than roasting tomatoes, I use a good-quality tomato paste. Both can be in your pantry at the ready for when you feel like a batch of this gorgeous tomato and pepper sauce.
Ingredients
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Almond meal: Ground almonds (called almond meal or sometimes almond flour) are the base of your red pepper sauce. To keep things simple, I use already-ground almonds. If you’d like, you can add blanched almonds to a food processor and process until very fine — like fine breadcrumbs.
- Roasted red bell peppers: Again, to make things easy, I’m using roasted bell pepper from a jar. They taste great and roasted peppers are one of those ingredients that are generally such good quality in jars, that their convenience wins out over making them myself.
- Tomato paste: Another shelf-stable ingredient to use in this recipe. Alternatively, you can swap it for sundried tomatoes to get even more of an umami boost.
- Garlic: Don’t worry about mincing the garlic too fine here — rough chops will work well in this romesco sauce as it all gets blitzed in the food processor anyway.
- Sherry vinegar: For a bit of tang and classic in Spanish cooking. The acidity of the vinegar helps balance the richness of the other ingredients. You can use red wine vinegar as a sub.
- Paprika: I prefer sweet or mild paprika in my romesco sauce recipe, but if you love a smoky flavour, feel free to use smoked paprika.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good quality EVOO to help with the consistency and add light flavour.
How to make romesco sauce
Most of this romesco sauce recipe comes together in a food processor. If you don’t have one at home, you can make it the old-fashioned way — with a mortar and pestle. It may take a bit more effort, but the taste and texture will be almost identical.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Toast the almonds
Place the ground almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast, stirring often, until they turn golden brown and start to smell nutty — about 4-5 minutes. Place in a bowl to cool.
2. Combine the ingredients
Place the toasted almond meal, red peppers, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, and paprika in the bowl of a food processor or a powerful blender and blend into a thick paste. The mixture shouldn’t be smooth at this point.
3. Add the oil & taste
Keep the processor running on low and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you get a dip-like consistency. Taste the sauce to see if it needs any adjustments, and enjoy!
Uses for romesco sauce
There are so many uses for this tomato and pepper sauce. Try it with poached eggs for breakfast, or spread in a sandwich for lunch. It makes for a great dip for roast potatoes or chips, or you can stir it through pasta too. The flavours pair wonderfully with roasted vegetables like cauliflower or my roasted shallots.
As for meats, just about any work well with salsa romesco. Roast chicken is lovely and fattier meats like pork belly or short ribs benefit from it’s tangy flavour.
I love it served with crusty bread, and it’s amazing used as a pizza sauce!
Tips and tricks
- You can adjust the salsa romesco to your liking. After you complete the initial blending process, taste your roasted red pepper sauce. Add a bit of salt if needed — you can also incorporate a little vinegar for more tangy flavour. You can play around with the consistency as well. If you want to loosen it, add more oil, some brine from the jar of roasted peppers, or just a touch of water. Experiment until it’s exactly how you like it.
- Make sure to toast the almonds first for the best flavour. I know it will be tempting to skip this step, but dry toasting them in a skillet really does make a huge difference in flavour, adding nuttiness and richness. Once toasted, make sure to transfer to a cool bowl or it will continue to cook in the hot pan.
- Use high-quality ingredients. You don’t need much to make this recipe for romesco sauce, so it’s important to choose high-quality ingredients where you can — especially the sherry vinegar and roasted red peppers.
Storing
Store your romesco sauce in an airtight container or a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 1-2 weeks when stored properly.
If you want to extend its shelf life, you can also freeze it. Place it in a freezer-safe, airtight container, or portion it into an ice cube tray for convenient thawing. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQs
While the names are very similar, romanesco and romesco couldn’t be more different. Romanesco is a type of cauliflower from the same family as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and kale. It looks kind of like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower but with a geometric pattern. Romesco sauce is a Spanish condiment made from roasted red peppers, almond meal, vinegar, and tomato paste.
Romesco, a tomato and pepper sauce made with vinegar, is a bit sweet and tangy thanks to that vinegar. There are hints of garlic and tomato, plus a touch of spice thanks to added paprika. It’s a robust and versatile condiment that complements a variety of foods.
A variety of dishes pair well with salsa romesco. Use it on chicken, beef, seafood, or any other type of protein. You can also spread it on sandwiches and bread, or serve it as a dipping sauce with your favourite roasted vegetables. There are tons of possibilities.
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Ingredients
- 150 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 300 g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (notes 1)
- 1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar) (notes 1)
- 1 tsp paprika (mild or sweet)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Frying pan or saucepan
- food processor
Instructions
- In a dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the ground almonds, stirring often, until they turn golden and smell nutty (a bit like popcorn) – about 4-5 minutes. Tip into a bowl to stop the cooking process and leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the toasted almond meal, red peppers, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar and paprika, then process to a thick paste. It won’t be smooth.
- With the processor running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have a dip consistency.
- Taste. Add a little salt if you like and a little vinegar if you want more tang. If you want a looser consistency you can add a little more oil, some brine from the jar of peppers or even just a touch of water.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Almond meal is literally just ground almonds until they’re fine but still coarser than flour.
- Roasted peppers come in jars stored in brine and sometimes the weight of that brine is included in the weight shown on the jar. The weight for this recipe is for the peppers only.
- Nutrition details are approximate only and shown per cup – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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