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Romesco is a smoky, roasted red pepper almond sauce with a deep, savory flavor and a thick, spoonable texture. Roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and onion blend with toasted almonds, a bit of bread, lemon juice, and smoked paprika for a sauce that’s rich, slightly tangy, and gently warm, not overly spicy.
Use it as a dip, a spread, or a finishing sauce for grilled meats, seafood, roasted vegetables, or potatoes. Make a batch once, and you’ll find excuses to keep it in the fridge.
Here’s Why This Romesco Sauce Recipe Works
Roasted vegetables: Blistered red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, onion, and a full head of garlic create depth and natural sweetness you can’t fake with raw ingredients.
Layered chile flavor: Soaked dried chiles add a gentle heat and smokiness without turning the sauce fiery.
Toasted almonds and bread: Marcona almonds and crisped white bread thicken the romesco sauce the traditional way, giving it body and a slight rustic texture.
Balanced acidity: A spoonful of fresh lemon juice cuts through the olive oil and roasted sweetness, keeping the sauce bold but not heavy.
Use it in my pasta with chorizo and romesco. The smoky sausage and roasted pepper base are made for each other.
Recipe Tips
Blister the peppers well: Let the skins char and wrinkle in the oven; that deep roast is where the smoky backbone starts. You can also use charred Italian sweet peppers for a slightly more complex flavor.
Seed the chiles thoroughly: After soaking, scrape out stems and seeds to keep the flavor warm and earthy, not bitter.
Roast the garlic until it’s soft: The cloves should squeeze out easily and look golden and creamy. If you want the roasted clove method, check out my roasted garlic spread.
Toast nuts carefully: Almonds can go from golden to burnt in seconds; keep the heat low and stir constantly.
Blend in stages: Puree the chiles first for a smooth base, then add the roasted vegetables and remaining ingredients for a thick sauce.
Use good olive oil: This is one of those sauces where cheap oil tastes cheap. A peppery, fruity extra virgin oil adds depth and carries the sauce.
Don’t skip the sieve if you’re picky: Straining the chile puree makes a real difference in texture, especially if you’re using tougher dried chiles with thick skins.
Cool before blending: Let the roasted veggies and toasted components cool slightly. Blending piping-hot ingredients can break your sauce or make it too loose.
Salt after blending: The ingredients concentrate as they roast and toast. Blend first, then taste and season so you don’t overshoot.
This sauce is great with seafood. Try it in my Spanish seafood stew in romesco or with my scallops and romesco sauce for a bold, smoky twist.
Homemade Romesco Sauce
This Spanish almond romesco sauce earns its spot in the fridge. Spoon it over grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, or potatoes, swipe it on crusty bread, or use it under seared shrimp. It’s smoky, bold, and the fastest way I know to make a plain dinner taste intentional.
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Spanish Romesco Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2 red bell pepper, or sweet Italian peppers
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes
- 1 head garlic, halved, paper outer skin removed
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 to 3 mild dried chili peppers, ancho, pasilla, or nora work well
- ½ cup Marcona almonds, or standard almonds
- 1 ounce white bread, crust removed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°.
- Arrange the peppers, tomatoes, garlic (cut-side up), and onion (cut-side down) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast until the peppers blister and the tomatoes soften and slump, 25–30 minutes.
- While the vegetables roast, put the dried chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with very hot water (just off the boil). Let them soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the chiles, then remove the stems and scrape out the seeds.
- Add the softened chiles to a blender with 2–3 tablespoons of water and blend until completely smooth. For a smoother sauce, press the chile puree through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, using the back of a spoon. Keep the smooth puree and discard the solids left in the sieve.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over low to medium-low heat. Add the almonds and stir constantly until they smell toasted and turn slightly deeper in color, about 1 minute (watch closely, they can burn quickly). Transfer the almonds to a paper towel–lined plate.Add the bread to the same skillet and toast until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Remove and set aside to cool.
- When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and white membranes. Separate the garlic head into cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins.Cut out the tough core from the tomatoes (and peel the tomatoes if you want a smoother sauce).
- Add the roasted vegetables to a blender or food processor with the chile puree, toasted almonds, toasted bread, lemon juice, smoked paprika, the remaining olive oil, and salt. Blend until thick and mostly smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Taste the sauce and add more chile puree if you want extra warmth. Add a little at a time (start with 1 teaspoon), blending after each addition, until it tastes right to you. Transfer the romesco to a bowl or lidded container. Makes about 2 cups.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This is fabulous! My only change was to puree all the roasted veggies and chilies first without peeling and then used a food mill to filter out skins and seeds.. then back to the blender with the remaining ingredients. Served over polenta with your seared scallop recipe. Raves all around!!
Hi, Susan! Great idea and adding the polenta with the scallops is genius! Thanks so much for your comments.
This looks so good! Smoked paprika is one of my favourite spices
Thanks, Amy 🙂