Spanish Romesco Sauce

Saute the Garlic

We're going to start with 1/4 cup olive oil on low heat in a sauté pan. We're going to basically toast some garlic. I have 4 cloves, I quartered them - you can just roughly chop them - it really doesn't matter. When it starts to sizzle, we don't want to brown them, but when it starts to sizzle give it about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let that cool.

Mix the Romesco Sauce Ingredients

Now, we're going to take:

• 1 cup of roasted red pepper, those are roasted and peeled, you can do your own or use jarred
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes for some heat
• 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar for a little acid
• 2 anchovy fillets for some salt and to give another dimension of flavor, and the other main ingredient
• 1/2 cup of roasted almonds

So, then add the toasted garlic in there. If you want, some people like to reserve the oil and drizzle it in later as it purees, I don't understand that, I just add it all in now and save a step.

Cook the Romesco Sauce to Desired Consistency

Now we're going to blitz that on and off until it starts to come together and then you can just leave it on until its as thick or thin and smooth as you want. After about 30 seconds or so you'll have you going to have what I would call a coarse or chunky romesco.


Many people do serve it this way. Maybe for a piece of grilled fish this would be the best texture for it. But, I prefer for a all-purpose sauce something that's smoother. So I'm going to go for another minutes until I have that consistency.

I adore aioli, I secretly love ketchup, and I've had a thing for tzadziki for a long time, but if I had to choose my favorite all-purpose cold sauce, it would have to be romesco. "Sexy" is an overused adjective that chefs toss out to describe food when they can’t think of anything else to say. But, in this case, it is spot-on. Romesco sauce is a classic, very popular, and yes, sexy, Spanish condiment. There are many versions and recipes, but it's basically a spicy almond and red pepper pesto-like mixture.

The reason I love it so much is that romesco sauce is great on everything…literally. From the lightest grilled fish, to the reddest of red meats, to any and all vegetables. I always have a jar in the fridge, and when a dish I'm cooking has that "something is missing" taste - I throw in a spoon of romesco, and usually, things suddenly get more exciting.

This video recipe I filmed for About a while ago just aired, and when I listened to it, I noticed my usual infectious enthusiasm seemed muted. I'm not sure if I was ill, or suffering from lack of sleep, or depressed from checking my donations, but I seemed a bit flat. Ironically, a great thing to make and eat when you are feeling that way is…romesco! Enjoy.