Mojo rojo: spiced red pepper sauce

Mojo rojo is one of my favourite sauces that I have enjoyed on many a holiday in Spain.

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This is my take on mojo rojo: a roasted and spiced red pepper sauce with a real garlicky punch, a hint of spices from the paprika and cumin, a sharpness from vinegar and a richness from olive oil. And it really is very simple to make.

Mojo rojo is superb heated up and served with cooked fish and seafood, but I also love it with pan-fried chicken. Mind you, I can devour this quite easily when served at room temperature as a dip for potato wedges, bread chunks, carrot batons or even crisps!!

I used ancho chillies for this as they bring a very gentle heat and a gorgeous smokyness. A little fresh red chilli adds more of a kick. This might not be totally authentic, but it really works well. The vinegar and the oil give an enticing sharpness and richness respectively.

The bread in there will thicken up the sauce a little and it absorbs those wonderful flavours. I tend to use sourdough but any bread – stale or fresh – will do. If you keep the crusts on, you can soak them in the vinegar or oil until they are softened up to be able to be blitzed easily. You can reduce the amount of bread if you prefer a thinner sauce.

Recipe: Mojo rojo – serves 3-4

• 3 large red peppers, cut in half and deseeded
• 2 dried ancho chillies
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 rounded teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 rounded teaspoon cumin powder
• 50ml red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
• about 40g sourdough or other bread (crusts can be left on if you wish)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly chopped chives or parsley to garnish

(1) Preheat the oven to 190°C(fan) and place the peppers, cut side down on to a baking tray lined with parchment. Roast for 40 minutes or until very soft and blistered.

(2) While the peppers are roasting, soak the ancho chillies for about 15 minutes in hot water to rehydrate. Remove from the water and cut off the stalk: you can either keep the seeds in or discard them.

(3) Add all the ingredients, including the roasted pepper, to a food processor and either blitz lightly to give a chunky sauce or blitz further to give a smooth sauce. You can add a little more oil if you want the mojo rojo thinner.

(4) Empty into a serving bowl and scatter over some finely chopped parsley or chives. Serve at room temperature as a dip or warmed up as a sauce.

Author: Philip

Finalist on Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC Television 2018). Published recipe writer with a love of growing fruit & veg, cooking, teaching and eating good food. View all posts by Philip