Classic Tarragona Romesco Sauce

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A rustic Spanish sauce from coastal Catalonia built on charred red peppers, ripe tomatoes, toasted nuts, and sherry vinegar. It is traditionally pounded in a mortar, but a food processor gives the same velvety, smoky result in minutes. Spoon it over grilled fish, smear it on toasted bread, or serve it as a dip with hunks of raw spring onion.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 290 kcalCalories
• 24 gFat
• 3 gSaturated Fat
• 14 gCarbs
• 4 gFiber
• 5 gSugar
• 6 gProtein
• 320 mgSodium
• 380 mgPotassium
• 60 mgCalcium
• 2 mgIron
• 45 mgVitamin C
• 85 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the roasted vegetables

• 2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 small head garlic, top sliced off
• 2 dried ñora peppers (or 1 small dried New Mexico chile)

For the base

• 1/3 cup blanched Marcona almonds
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, skin on
• 1 thick slice rustic country bread (about 1.5 oz), torn
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the top
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Directions

1. Place the dried ñora peppers in a small heatproof bowl, cover with just-boiled water, and soak for 15 minutes until pliable. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, then slit open and scrape out the seeds.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set the bell peppers skin-side up, the tomatoes cut-side down, and the garlic head on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until the pepper skins are blackened and the tomatoes collapse.
3. On a small tray, toast the almonds and hazelnuts in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Meanwhile, dry-toast the bread in a skillet over medium heat, about 2 minutes per side, until crisp.
4. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, slip the charred skins off the peppers. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves from their skins. Rub the tomato flesh through a coarse sieve or simply peel off the loose skins and discard.
5. In a food processor, combine the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, toasted nuts, toasted bread, the seeded ñora flesh, smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Pulse to a coarse paste, scraping the bowl as needed.
6. With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil and process until thick, glossy, and spoonable. Add a splash of the reserved ñora liquid if the sauce is too stiff. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar.
7. Transfer to a serving bowl and smooth the top. Pour a thin veil of olive oil across the surface to keep it from darkening. Rest at room temperature 30 minutes (or chill up to 5 days) so the flavors round out.
8. Serve cool or at room temperature alongside grilled prawns, salt cod, roasted vegetables, charred bread, or as a dip for raw spring onions and fennel.

Cook’s Notes

• For the deepest smoke flavor, char the bell peppers directly over an open gas flame in a wire rack until the skins bubble black, then steam them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes before peeling.
• Make Romesco up to 4 days ahead and keep it refrigerated with a thin cap of olive oil; the flavors actually improve overnight.
• If you cannot find ñora peppers, dried California or New Mexico chiles work well; just use one and skip the seeds for milder sauce.
• For a looser, dip-style sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water or the reserved soaking liquid until it ribbons off a spoon.
• Toast the nuts slowly and watch them closely, hazelnuts in particular turn from golden to bitter in seconds.

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