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All Recipes, Sauces / May 26, 2020

How to Make 4 CLASSIC SPANISH Sauces

Spain is famously known for not saturating their dishes with sauces. We prefer to focus on the main ingredient. However, that doesn´t mean we don´t have delicious sauces in Spain. In this post, I will show you How to Make 4 CLASSIC SPANISH Sauces.


All 4 of these sauces pack a big punch of Spanish flavors and they´re all made using very simple ingredients. These sauces are perfect to dip with vegetables, baguette bread, on top of roasted fish, etc. The possibilities are endless.


The main ingredient in all these sauces is the olive oil. So make sure to use a great Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For the saffron garlic aioli, make sure to use some High-Quality Saffron. Don´t settle for anything less.


TIPS & TRICKS to make these Recipes: To make the aioli, I used a mortar & pestle. To make the romesco and mojo picon you will need a food processor. For the Brava sauce, you will just need a basic frying pan. All of these sauces will hold for up to 7 days in the fridge. With the exception of the aioli. Which will hold for up to 3 days in the fridge.


Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in these Recipes:
MY SWISS DIAMON FRYING PANS
FOOD PROCESSOR
MORTAR & PESTLE
HIGH-QUALITY SAFFRON
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL
SPANISH SEA SALT

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Watch the Video Below on How to Make 4 CLASSIC SPANISH Sauces

4.5 from 2 votes
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How to Make 4 CLASSIC SPANISH Sauces

Cuisine Spanish
Author Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

Ingredients

FOR THE SAFFRON GARLIC AIOLI

  • 3 cloves garlic roughly minced
  • 1/2 tsp saffron threads
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

FOR THE ROMESCO SAUCE

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 slices baguette bread
  • 8 raw hazelnuts
  • 8 raw blanched almonds
  • 2 jarred roasted red bell peppers
  • 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

FOR THE BRAVA SAUCE

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

FOR THE MOJO PICON

  • 2 slices baguette bread
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 4 jarred roasted red bell peppers
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper

Instructions

  1. To make the saffron garlic aioli, add 3 cloves roughly minced garlic into a mortar, pinch in 1/2 tsp saffron threads and a pinch of sea salt, using a pestle pound down on the ingredients until you form a paste, then add in 1 egg yolk at room temperature and 1/2 tsp lemon juice, start mixing the ingredients together in a circular motion, at the same time start slowy pouring in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, the secret here is to slowly add in the olive oil while you continue to mix in a circular motion, once all the olive oil has been incorporated and you end up with a with a thick mayonnaise like sauce, season with a little sea salt & black pepper, can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge

  2. To make the romesco sauce, add 2 tomatoes, 2 large cloves garlic and 2 slices of baguette bread into a baking tray, add into a preheated oven, bake + broil option 210 C - 425 F, after 6 minutes remove the toasted breads, after 12 minutes remove the roasted garlics and after 30 minutes total, remove the tomatoes and let them cool off, meanwhile heat a small fry pan with a medium heat and add in 8 raw hazelnuts & 8 raw blanched almonds, dry roast them for about 4 to 5 minutes, mixing them continuously, then set aside, add the 2 roasted tomatoes (peeled) into a food processor, the 2 roasted garlics (peeled), the 2 slices of toasted baguette bread, the toasted hazelnuts & almonds, 1 raw clove of garlic, 2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar and a generous 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt & black pepper and run the food processor on a low speed for 3 minutes, you should end up with a thick sauce that has textures to it, can be store in the fridge for up 7 days

  3. To make the brava sauce, add a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive into a large fry pan and heat with a medium heat, after 3 minutes transfer the hot olive oil into a large bowl, add in 2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika, 1 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika and 1 tbsp corn starch, whisk together until well combined, add the mixture back into the pan, heat with a medium heat and start whisking everything together, at the same time start slowy adding in 1 cup of vegetable broth, after the broth has been incorporated add in 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp sea salt, continute to whisk on a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, then whisk everything so the sauce can come back together, you should end up with a creamy sauce, can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days

  4. To make the mojo picon sauce, add 2 slices of baguette bread and 2 large cloves of garlic into a baking tray, add into a preheated oven, bake + broil option 210 C - 425 F, after 6 minutes remove the toasted breads, after a total cooking time of 12 minutes remove the roasted garlics, add 4 jarred roasted red bell peppers into a food processor, the 2 pieces of toasted bread, the 2 roasted garlics (peeled), 1 raw clove of garlic, 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup cold water and a generous 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt & black pepper and run the food processor on a low speed for 3 minutes, you should end up with a thick creamy sauce, can be stored for up to 7 days in the fridge

Recipe Notes

Get the high-quality saffron threads I used to make the saffron garlic aioli

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4 Comments

  1. Marilynx

    4 stars
    I cannot have grains or potatoes. I’m guessing the slices of bread in several of these sauces are there as a thickener. I can use roasted veggies to thicken, or egg yolks, or avocado. COuld also use the bread I make from almond or pecan flour, or from split red lentils. Which would be best for these sauces?

    24 . Oct . 2021
    • Spain on a Fork

      I would actually recommend subbing the bread for 10 blanched almonds, that way you get more of an authentic Spanish flavor 🙂 much love

      26 . Oct . 2021
  2. Helen Prout

    5 stars
    Tried the mojo picon recipe during the week and it was a hit. Very versatile recipe that can be used to add flavour to many meals – a spoon added to a bowl of soup, buddha bowl, etc.

    21 . Aug . 2021
    • Spain on a Fork

      So happy to hear that! Much love 🙂

      22 . Aug . 2021

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