Chef Isabel
Asadillo Manchego
Asadillo Manchego is La Mancha's roasted pepper salad: red peppers, tomato, olive oil, garlic, and cumin, pounded plainly and served with egg, warm or cold.
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Escalivada Catalana
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Escalivada is Catalan: peppers, aubergine, onion, and sometimes tomato roasted whole until the skins blacken, then peeled warm and torn into strips. The smoke and soft flesh are the dish.
Salads
Spanish
Make Ahead
Outdoor Dining
Budget Friendly
20 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Escalivada is Catalan, from the old verb escalivar, to cook in embers, and that tells you almost everything. Red peppers, aubergine, onion, and often a tomato or two are roasted whole until the skins blister black and the flesh collapses into itself. Then you peel them warm, tear them into strips, dress them with good olive oil and salt, and leave them alone. That smoke is the dish.
The method that decides it is the char. You don't cube the vegetables first and you don't roast them politely until only soft. Whole vegetables protect their own juices while the outside burns enough to perfume the flesh underneath. Peel too cold and the skins cling. Peel too clean and you wash away the good dark taste. Work warm, with your hands if you can bear it, and keep every roasted juice that runs out.
If you have a grill, use it. If you don't, a very hot oven and the broiler get you there, with less smoke and a little less edge. No hace falta haber pisado Cataluña. Choose heavy peppers, shiny aubergines, and onions with tight skins, and don't drown them in vinegar or garlic. A little is allowed in some homes, but the base is oil and salt. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Escalivada belongs to Catalonia and to the old habit of cooking vegetables directly in the heat left by wood embers, especially in farm and village kitchens where the fire had already done the day's harder work. The name comes from escalivar, to cook in ashes or embers, which is why the dish is defined by whole vegetables blackened outside and sweet inside, not by a dressing. It often appears with toasted bread, anchovies, or salted cod, but the core remains the same: roasted peppers, aubergine, and onion dressed simply so the smoke carries the plate.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large red peppers
Quantity
3 (about 600g total)
medium aubergines
Quantity
2 (about 700g total)
medium onions
Quantity
2 (about 350g total)
ripe tomatoes (optional)
Quantity
2 (about 300g total)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
80ml, plus more to finish
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
vinagre de Jerez or red wine vinegar (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
garlic clove (optional)
Quantity
1 small
very finely grated
oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)
Quantity
8
rustic bread or coca (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large red peppers | 3 (about 600g total) |
| medium aubergines | 2 (about 700g total) |
| medium onions | 2 (about 350g total) |
| ripe tomatoes (optional) | 2 (about 300g total) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 80ml, plus more to finish |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| vinagre de Jerez or red wine vinegar (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| garlic clove (optional)very finely grated | 1 small |
| oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional) | 8 |
| rustic bread or coca (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Charcoal grill or hot oven with broiler
- •Rimmed baking tray
- •Tongs
- •Shallow serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Heat the fire
Heat a charcoal grill to medium-high, or heat the oven to 230C with the broiler ready for the end. Leave the peppers, aubergines, onions, and tomatoes whole. Whole is not a detail here; the skins take the burn while the flesh steams in its own juices underneath.
On a grill, set the onions near the gentler edge of the heat so they soften through before the outside is finished. Peppers and aubergines can take the stronger heat. - 2
Roast until blackened
Put the vegetables on the grill grate, or on a foil-lined tray in the hot oven. Turn them now and then until the pepper skins are blistered and black in patches, the aubergines have collapsed, the onions feel soft when pressed, and the tomatoes split. Expect 25 to 35 minutes for tomatoes and peppers, 35 to 45 minutes for aubergines and onions. A polite golden roast is not escalivada. You need char.
- 3
Rest covered
Move the roasted vegetables to a bowl as each one finishes, cover with a plate or clean cloth, and let them rest for 10 minutes. This loosens the skins and catches the juices. Don't throw those juices away; strain them if there are black flakes, then keep them for the dressing.
- 4
Peel warm
Peel the vegetables while they are still warm enough to handle. Pull away the pepper skins and seeds, slit the aubergines and scrape the soft flesh from the skins, slip the onions from their papery outside, and peel the tomatoes if using. Do not rinse them under the tap. Water steals the smoke you worked for.
- 5
Tear into strips
Tear the peppers and aubergines into long strips with your fingers, and slice the onions into thick petals. Rough edges are right. Lay the vegetables in separate loose bands or gently mixed together on a shallow platter, spooning over any saved roasted juices.
- 6
Dress and settle
Whisk the olive oil with the salt, and add the vinegar and grated garlic only if you want that sharper house version. Spoon it over the vegetables and let the escalivada sit at least 15 minutes, or longer if you have time. Serve at room temperature, with anchovies and bread if you like. Tal como se hace allí, plain and full of smoke.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the vegetables when they feel heavy for their size. Peppers should be firm and glossy, aubergines tight-skinned, onions hard at the root. Soft tired vegetables roast into wet strips with little sweetness.
- •A charcoal grill gives the deepest flavor. An oven works, but finish the peppers and aubergines under the broiler until the skins blister black in patches. What changes is the edge of smoke, not the shape of the dish.
- •Do not rinse the roasted vegetables after peeling. Wipe away stubborn bits of skin with your fingers or a paper towel. The dark taste clings to the surface, and the tap takes it with it.
- •Escalivada is better after a rest. Make it in the morning for lunch, or the day before and bring it back to room temperature before serving. Cold oil goes dull and thick.
- •Anchovies are a good Catalan finish, especially on toast, but they are not required. If you use them, use fewer better ones and let the vegetables stay in charge.
Advance Preparation
- •Roast, peel, tear, and dress the vegetables up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature for at least 45 minutes before serving.
- •Save the roasted juices separately if making ahead, then spoon them back over the platter with a fresh thread of olive oil just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 265g)
Calories
235 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
385 mg
Total Carbohydrates
19 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
11 g
Protein
3 g
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