Smoked Almond Romesco

Dip, spread, top - An all purpose plant based flavor punch with crunch

Romesco Is on the Mount Rushmore of Sauces

Romesco is a true jack-of-all-trades.
Everyone makes it a little differently, but the job description stays the same.

Spoon it over grilled meat or vegetables.
Layer it into sandwiches and bowls.
Dip crackers or crudité straight into it.

The sauce is only as sweet as the peppers you use.
Balance comes from aged sherry vinegar and good olive oil.
Seasoning leans on garlic, rosemary, and smoked almonds—which bring both creaminess and crunch.

My favorite use?
Sandwiches.
Time to evolve the lazy mayo, cheese and meat format,
And make some Adult sandwiches that give back

Think grilled chicken, broccoli rabe, and a thick swipe of this pungent red pepper-almond sauce.
Or plop it onto fish tacos.
Soft-shell crab? Even better.

Replace boring-ass mayo and save some calories while upgrading to a nutrient-dense, flavor-packed powerhouse.

---

Not All Roasted Red Peppers Are the Same

Most store-bought roasted red peppers taste… fine.
Flat. Generic. Kinda sad.

Whenever you can, fire up the grill and give your peppers a hard char.
Steam them after to concentrate the flavor.
That’s when they turn sweet instead of tasting vaguely metallic and bitter.

The next best thing?

Piquillo peppers from Spain.
Roasted, packed, and wildly more flavorful than standard jarred peppers.
They’re about half the size of a typical red pepper and double the flavor.

If you can’t find them locally, Amazon has them.
And don’t stress—I’ve seasoned this sauce to work even if basic roasted reds are all you’ve got.

---

Smoked Almond Romesco

Yield: ~1 quart
Tools: Food processor (4-cup minimum) | Large bowl

Wet Base

• 30 g garlic cloves

• 10 g sea salt

• 350 g roasted red peppers (reserve liquid)

• 40 g aged sherry vinegar

• 200 g olive oil

• 300 g smoked almonds

• 5 g fresh rosemary

---

Method

1. Add garlic and salt to the food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

2. Add roasted red peppers and blend until fully smooth.

3. Add sherry vinegar. With the machine running, slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify.

4. Add smoked almonds in thirds.

   • Blend the first two additions until smooth.

   • After the final third, pulse just until the mixture resembles wet sand, with visible almond “pebbles.”

5. Transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop rosemary and fold it in by hand.

6. Loosen the sauce with reserved red pepper liquid or water until thick and spoonable—not a purée.

7. Adjust salt and texture as needed.

Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 weeks.