Romesco sauce is a classic Spanish sauce made with almonds and roasted red peppers. Serve it on top of buttery sablefish for a delicious and healthy meal!
When the weather starts to warm up, I like preparing dishes that don’t require a lot of cooking time over a hot stove. Romesco sauce is one of my favorite no-cook sauces to make and is a staple in my household.
What is sablefish?
I use wild Alaskan sablefish (black cod) in this dish. I first learned about sablefish many years ago when I had the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth miso glazed black cod at the legendary restaurant Nobu in New York City.
Sablefish is a white fish with a delicate, velvety texture and sweet, buttery flavor. It has a nice richness that makes it an excellent choice for dinner.
Sablefish is also a lean fish that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids. It has about the same amount of omega-3s as salmon. It's rich in nutrients like vitamin B12 and is low in mercury.
I use wild Alaska sablefish in this recipe. So in addition to being healthy, it's also a sustainable fish choice.
If you're trying it for the first time, it may become your new favorite fish! If you can’t find sablefish at your grocery store, you can substitute any type of fish that you like such as halibut, grouper or cod.
What is Romesco sauce?
Romesco sauce is a classic Spanish sauce made by pureeing almonds, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, vinegar and seasonings.
It's very easy to make and requires no cooking. Simply puree all of the ingredients together in a blender and you’re done!
It's also very nutritious. It has almonds and olive oil, which are packed with heart healthy unsaturated fats. Nuts are also a great source of protein and fiber and contain several other nutrients that have beneficial effects on heart health including Vitamin E, plant sterols, selenium and L-arginine.
The sauce gets a nice smoky flavor from roasted red peppers and Spanish smoked paprika. Spanish sherry vinegar adds brightness and acidity to the sauce and a small amount of bread thickens it.
Ingredients
- Sablefish (black cod) filets
- Roasted red peppers
- Tomato
- Almonds
- Garlic
- Spanish sherry vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Smoked Spanish paprika
- Bread
Instructions
Another reason I love sablefish is that it's so easy to cook! Simply heat some oil in a hot skillet and cook it about 3-4 minutes on each side.
The Romesco sauce is also very easy to make. Simply place all the ingredients in the a food processor or blender and blend away. No cooking at all!
You can serve Romesco sauce on top of pretty much anything! I love it on seared sablefish but it's also delicious on grilled steak, chicken or vegetables.
You may want to double the recipe and keep the leftovers in the fridge. I promise it won’t go to waste!
What to serve with sablefish
I also serve the delicious sablefish with a dollop of Romesco sauce on top and extra sauce on the side. You can serve it with quinoa or brown rice and a salad or vegetable to round out the meal.
Try this sablefish with my Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables or Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Strawberries. You can also serve it with Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Perfect Air Fryer Asparagus or Miso Roasted Rainbow Carrots. Round out your meal with my Tuscan Kale and Apple Salad or Roasted Butternut Squash Salad.
Looking for more ideas? Check out my 30 Best Side Dishes for Tilapia post. These tasty side dishes will pair well with any white fish!
More tasty seafood recipes
Recipe
Sablefish (Black Cod) with Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 4 filets of sablefish (black cod) or other white fish like halibut or grouper (4 ounces each), skin removed
- Salt and pepper
Romesco Sauce:
- 4.5 ounces (¾ cup) jarred roasted red peppers, drained
- ½ small tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons Spanish sherry vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
- ½ ounce bread, crust cut off
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- To make the Romesco sauce, place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, season the fish with salt and pepper and add the pieces (presentation side down) to the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then carefully flip the fish over and cook another 3-4 minutes until it is just cooked through.
- Serve the cod with a dollop of Romesco sauce on top. Serve extra sauce on the side.
Kelly Siew says
Love the vibrant colour of the sauce!
Shaggy Rugs says
Yummy looks. Actually I’m looking for new recipes these days. Because I’ll try to make something different in this weekend.
Aggie says
I haven't been over here in a while and have been missing your wonderful recipes! This looks delicious, trying to get more fish in my diet (out of habit lately) and I love the sound of that sauce. Have never made romesco sauce at home! Hope you are well. 🙂
sonaliruder says
Thanks for stopping by Aggie, it's great to hear from you! Hope you try this recipe, it's really simple- a great way to dress up fish. Hope you're doing well!
Kari says
This looks delicious and the sauce is right up my alley!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Kari! I love developing recipes for the delicious Alaskan black cod!
ur says
Love the Sienne Maya recipe!
The Romesco sauce seems to be easy enough to prepare. I would like to try it with salmon, since Alaskan black cod is not always available.
Thank you for this simple recipe.
sonaliruder says
Thanks! The Romesco is delicious with salmon as well. Enjoy!
Roberta says
Oh this sounds like a delicious recipe!
sonaliruder says
Thank you!