Catalán Calçots con salsa Romesco, or spring onions with Romesco sauce, is perhaps the most famous recipe of Catalan cuisine.They are the ideal refreshment of the grilling season. They can be served as an appetiser with meat or a light meal on their own.

WHAT ARE CALCOTS CON SALSA ROMESCO?

Calcots con salsa romesco, or spring onions with Romesco sauce, is a traditional dish of Catalan cuisine. The spring onions are slightly burnt on their surface on a grill with charcoal and then allowed to cook until soft and sweet in the newspaper with their own accumulated energy. They are served with a delicious Romesco sauce of roasted vegetables, almonds and toasted white bread.

HOW ARE CALCOTS CON ROMESCO EATEN?

Simply peel each onion from the charred outer layer and dip the sweet interior into a thick Romesco sauce. It's that simple, but really delicious!

Grilled onions on charcoal with some fresh Romesco sauce for dipping

WHAT ARE THE VARIANTS OF THE RECIPE?

You can get different variant of this recipe depending on different methods of roasting the peppers for the Romesco sauce. In Catalonia, onions are sometimes caramelized, or rather briefly carbonized directly in the fire. They are most often grilled over dry charcoal. You can also make them in the oven at home.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR?

The grill must be so hot that you can't hold your hand over it for even a moment. The temperature has to be really high so that the outer layer is toasted, but the inside of the onions is not dried out. That's why it's a bit more difficult to cook the onions in the oven, where the temperature is lower than above a hot grill. If you make the onions in the oven, heat it to the maximum and do not let them bake for too long so that they do not dry out.

RECIPE:

CALÇOTS CON SALSA ROMESCO - SPRING ONIONS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

• 30 spring onions with the root cut off
• Salsa Romesco
• newspaper or foil

METHOD:

1. Prepare the salsa according to the Romesco salsa recipe. You can easily prepare it before you heat up the grill. The preparation of the Romesco salsa is included in the preparation time of the recipe.
2. Heat up the grill, let it burn/heat up for at least 40 minutes.
3. Fry the onions on both sides until dark brown or black on high heat. All in about 6 minutes. 
   Note: You can also bake the onions in the oven. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature and bake them for no more than 10 minutes. If you have a grill in the oven, then 4 minutes on both sides. Proceed in the same way in the next steps. 
   
   

   
   Don't be afraid to burn the onions - correct Calçots are charred black on the surface and white and sweet on the inside.
   
   

4. Wrap the roasted onions tightly in some newspaper or aluminium foil and leave them near a heat source for 20 minutes. This step is essential. The onions in the paper become softer and sweeter.
5. You can tear off the outer charred layer and dip the sweet inside of the onion into the Romesco sauce, or just simply dip the whole onion with the charred outer layer in the sauce and enjoy! 

   Salsa Romesco is best with some roasted spring onions

Find more Spanish Recipes on our blog.