Bring the bold flavors of Barcelona to your table with Chef Charles Webb’s Pan-Seared Catalan Romesco Salmon Dish.

For this recipe, you’ll be creating an antioxidant-rich Romesco sauce, which originated in a coastal city in Catalonia – the fishermen of Tarragona decided to use the flavors of roasted tomato, garlic, nuts, and peppers to make their catch taste extra delicious.

The same goes for this excellent rendition of the sauce and Verlasso salmon!

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

  • 8 green onions, ends trimmed

  • 3 medium tomatoes, halved

  • 3 cloves garlic, whole

  • 1 slice stale bread

  • ½ cup sliced blanched almonds

  • 8 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 14 oz can white cannellini beans

  • 2 sprigs thyme

  • 4 Verlasso salmon fillets (5 oz. each)

  • 4 teaspoons Barcelona spice powder (if unavailable use 3 ½ additional teaspoons of smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large sauté pan over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

  2. Lay green onions on one side of the pan and 3 medium tomatoes on the other side.

  3. Add to pan and cook the onions until charred, turning them with tongs 3-4 times, for about 2 minutes.  Remove onions and set aside.

  4. Flip the tomatoes, and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. The skin of the tomatoes should be wilted and blackened.

  5. Add 3 cloves garlic, whole, to the pan and cook for one minute.

  6. Remove tomatoes and garlic; add to a food processor or blender (leave pan on top of stove).

  7. Add bread, almonds, roasted red peppers, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, and salt. Blend at medium speed until ingredients are pureed.  

  8. Using the same large sautè pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat.

  9. Season the salmon with Barcelona spice powder, rubbing it evenly over the flesh.

  10. Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. (For well-done salmon, cover the pan and continue cooking for 2 minutes.)

  11. In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, add the white cannellini beans and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, allowing ingredients to heat and combine.

  12. Assemble the plate with the hot beans on base, with the salmon nestled on top, and the charred green onions draped over the salmon.

  13. Finally, spoon the Romesco sauce evenly around the beans.

TIP: For a gluten free option, eliminate the bread from the Romesco sauce, and simply add an additional ¼ cup of almonds.