Escalivada con Anchoas del Cantábrico
Chapter 2: Cold Tapas
In a dish of six ingredients, there is nowhere to hide. Escalivada is the unsung workhorse of the Spanish tapas bar—a smoky, sweet tangle of whole-roasted vegetables that only gets better after a night in the fridge. The magic here is the contrast: silky, chilled vegetables draped over a slab of shatteringly hot, garlic-rubbed bread, crowned with the briny perfection of a Cantabrian anchovy. Don't cheap out on the anchovies, and whatever you do, don't slice the vegetables before you roast them.
Before you start
Make the escalivada up to two days in advance.
The vegetables genuinely improve as they sit in the vinaigrette. Do all the roasting and tearing the day before your party, leaving you with nothing but toasting bread when your guests arrive.
Ingredients
- Italian eggplants2 med
- red bell peppers2 large
- sweet Spanish onions2 med
- Spanish extra virgin olive oil1/3 cup
- Sherry vinegar2 tbsp
- garlic1 small clove
- coarse sea salt1 pinch
- black pepper1 pinch
- Cantabrian anchovies in olive oil2 oz
- ciabatta1 loaf
- garlic1 med clove
- ripe tomato1 med
- fresh flat leaf parsley1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare the baking sheet.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil to catch the sticky, sugary juices that will inevitably escape.
- 02
Pierce the eggplants and oil the whole vegetables.
Wash and dry the eggplants, peppers, and onions, leaving them entirely whole so they steam in their own juices. Prick the eggplants deeply with a fork four or five times to prevent them from exploding, then rub everything generously with olive oil.
- 03
Roast the vegetables until blackened and collapsed.
Place in the upper third of the oven, turning every 20 minutes. The peppers will heavily blister in 30 to 40 minutes; the eggplants and onions will take 50 to 60 minutes. The eggplant is ready when it offers absolutely zero resistance to a prod.
- 04
Sweat the roasted vegetables in a covered bowl.
Immediately transfer the hot vegetables to a large bowl and seal it tightly with plastic wrap. Let them sit undisturbed for 30 minutes; this traps the steam, pulling the charred skins away from the flesh and making them effortless to peel.
- 05
Peel and hand-tear the vegetables.
Working over a cutting board to catch the smoky juices, discard the blackened skins, stems, and pepper seeds. Do not use a knife; instead, use your hands to tear the eggplant and pepper flesh into long, rustic strips, then slice the onion thickly.
- 06
Dress the vegetables and marinate overnight.
Whisk the olive oil, Sherry vinegar, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and any reserved vegetable juices. Toss with the torn vegetables, cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours—preferably overnight—to let the flavors marry.
- 07
Broil the bread and assemble the tapas.
Pull the vegetables from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Toast the bread under a hot broiler until the edges char, rub the hot surface with the halved garlic clove and tomato, and heap the room-temperature vegetables on top. Crown each portion with a pristine Cantabrian anchovy, a drizzle of oil, and a scatter of parsley.
Notes
Respect the anchovy.
This dish relies entirely on premium Cantabrian anchovies. Standard supermarket pizza anchovies are overly salted and will ruin the delicate balance; if you can't find the good stuff, substitute high-quality oil-packed Spanish tuna instead.
Do not slice before roasting.
Resist the urge to cut the vegetables before they hit the oven. Roasting them whole acts as a pressure vessel, allowing the interior flesh to confit in its own steam for that authentic, silky texture.
Sherry vinegar is non-negotiable.
Vinagre de Jerez provides a complex, nutty acidity that standard white wine or balsamic vinegars simply cannot replicate. It is a necessary staple for the tapas pantry.