Romesco Sauce

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Nov. 24, 2024

Romesco Sauce
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus at least 1 hour letting sauce stand
Rating
5(819)
Comments
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Romesco is a rich Spanish sauce of charred tomatoes and roasted red peppers, puréed and thickened with toasted almonds and bread. The flavors are further sharpened with the addition of raw garlic, vinegar, chile powder or red pepper flakes (adjust the heat to your liking). The result is a smoky, pungent sauce, one usually served with mild-mannered vegetables and fish. (Some Spaniards say that a grilled vegetable feast is just an excuse for eating romesco.) But the sauce is just as good on a piece of toast that’s been brushed with olive oil and rubbed with yet more garlic. If you have the time, let the sauce stand for an hour at room temperature before serving, allowing the flavors to meld all the more.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 cups
  • 1large red pepper, about ½ pound, roasted, peeled, seeds and membranes removed
  • 3medium tomatoes or 4 Roma tomatoes (about ¾ pound)
  • 2thick slices (about 2 ounces) baguette or country-style bread, lightly toasted
  • 2large garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½cup toasted almonds, or a combination of almonds and skinned roasted hazelnuts
  • 1 to 2teaspoons pure ground chile powder or red pepper flakes, to taste (pepper flakes are hotter)
  • 1tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1teaspoon sweet paprika or Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)
  • Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • ¼ to ½cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

413 calories; 39 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 485 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet, and place under the broiler at the highest setting. Broil for two to four minutes, until charred on one side. Turn over and broil on the other side for two to four minutes until charred. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Peel and core.

  2. Step 2

    Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic cloves. When the garlic is chopped and adheres to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the toasted almonds (or almonds and hazelnuts), bread and chile powder or flakes to the bowl and process to a paste.

  3. Step 3

    Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, and with the machine running, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream, beginning with the smaller amount of olive oil and thinning out as desired. Process until well amalgamated, then scrape into a bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt or chile as desired. If possible, allow the sauce to stand for an hour at room temperature before using. Serve with fish and/or grilled vegetables, or on crostini.

Tip
  • Romesco keeps for at least five days in the refrigerator; over time, the garlic will become more pungent.

Ratings

5 out of 5
819 user ratings
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Comments

Cate Doty, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

The ingredient list specifies a red pepper that has already been roasted, but feel free to roast your own with the tomatoes.

Amy

Great recipe! I prefer a more pepper-y romesco, so I make this exactly as written except with 3 or 4 peppers instead of just one. I make a batch every year when we're drowning in peppers from our farmshare, freeze it in ice cube trays, and enjoy all year round.

Wiiiam.s

A great recipe, I did substitute tomatoes paste and left the bread out since I have a gluten free child. I also roasted the garlic and added a small roasted poblano pepper, with a large red pepper.

Karen

I’ve been using this recipe for 10 years, and I love it. While I do try to follow it as closely as my pantry and fridge allows at the moment when I get the urge to make it, I have changed the type of vinegar (Balsamic and apple cider both work), the type of tomatoes (and whether or not I peel them), and how I roast/toast things (canned roasted tomatoes are a good substitute). The smoked paprika, however, seems critical.

Marie

Adding more peppers and roasting the garlic makes a lot of sense. All I taste right now is garlic and the vinegar. Ooof.

Mary McCue

I often use this for shrimp cocktail in place of cocktail sauce.

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