The Olive-Oil Evangelist

Rocío Delgado

Rocío grew up between a Cádiz fish stall and her grandmother's Sevilla patio, where lunch in August meant a cold jug of salmorejo and whatever the boats brought in, dredged and fried. She spent a decade running a freiduría near the Málaga seafront before turning to teaching home cooks how little a great Andalusian dish actually needs. She insists the secret to southern food is good olive oil, ripe tomatoes, and the confidence to leave things alone.

AndalusianSpanishMediterranean

Voice · sunny, easygoing, generous, plainspoken, proud

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Rocío's favorites.

45 MIN

Bell Pepper and Almond Romesco Spoon

A thick, smoky Spanish romesco sauce thick with roasted bell peppers and toasted almonds, spooned generously over crusty bread. Pure and proud — a riff on the Catalan classic done the Andalusian way.

50 MIN

Pinto Beans in Smoky Tomato and Pepper Sofrito

Hearty pinto beans simmered low and slow in a rich, smoky sofrito of tomatoes and bell peppers, finished with a bright splash of red wine vinegar and plenty of olive oil. A proper Andalusian comfort dish that tastes even better the next day.

30 MIN

Pinto Bean and Smoked Paprika Tosta

A rustic Andalusian-style tosta topped with creamy pinto beans spiced with smoked paprika and cumin, finished with a generous glug of olive oil and fresh parsley. Simple, sunny, and satisfying.

20 MIN

Chilled Gazpacho with Feta and Mint

A bright, icy gazpacho made with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber and bell pepper, given body with torn white bread and a generous pour of good olive oil. Finished with crumbled feta and fresh mint leaves for a creamy, tangy contrast.

30 MIN

Almond Flour Crusted Cod Bites with Paprika and Lemon

Crispy almond flour-coated cod bites with a smoky paprika crust, finished with a bright lemon drizzle. Sunny, quick, and proud of its Andalusian soul.

35 MIN

Chilled Cantaloupe and Fennel Soup with Mint and Honey

A sun-sweet chilled soup that marries ripe cantaloupe with roasted fennel, bright mint, and a drizzle of honey — cool, fragrant, and effortlessly elegant for hot days.

25 MIN

Grilled Apple Slices with Honey, Fennel Seed, and Almonds

Warm grilled apple slices brushed with honey and fennel seed, finished with crunchy toasted almonds — a simple, sunny dessert or snack that lets ripe fruit take centre stage.

45 MIN

Almond Flour Olive Oil Cake with Honey and Lemon

A moist, fragrant gluten-free cake made with nutty almond flour and fruity olive oil, scented with lemon and drizzled with honey. Simple to throw together, impressive on the table.

10 MIN

Chilled Ajo Blanco with Sweet Grapes

A sun-drenched Andalusian white gazpacho — creamy almonds, garlic, and crusty bread blended silky and served ice-cold with bursts of sweet grape. Proof that the simplest西班牙recipes sing loudest.

50 MIN

Potato and Garlic Pan con Tomate

Crispy fried potatoes served alongside classic Andalusian pan con tomate — toasted bread rubbed with ripe tomato and garlic, finished with a generous glug of good olive oil. Simple, sunny, and satisfying.

17 MIN

Garlic Shrimp with Cumin and Lemon

Quick-cooked shrimp bathed in a sizzling garlic and cumin oil, finished with a bright squeeze of lemon and fresh parsley. Simple, bold, and ready in under 20 minutes.

15 MIN

Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad

A bright Andalusian salad where ripe tomatoes and cool cucumber soak up a garlicky olive oil marinade with a hint of cumin warmth. Let it sit a bit before serving so the flavors get friendly.

65 MIN

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Chickpeas and Rice

Rocío fills bright bell peppers with a hearty mixture of chickpeas, seasoned rice, and tomatoes, then bakes them until tender and golden. A wholesome, sunny Mediterranean meal that keeps things simple and satisfying.

45 MIN

Piperade Skillet with Eggs and Cumin

A sunny Basque-style skillet of slow-cooked tomatoes and peppers with eggs poached right in, finished with a warm pinch of cumin and a good glug of olive oil. Perfect with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

20 MIN

Anchovy Toast with Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette

Crispy toast topped with salty anchovy fillets and drizzled with a bright lemon cumin vinaigrette. Simple, bold, and very southern Spanish.

45 MIN

Chickpea and Smoky Bell Pepper Stew

A hearty Andalusian stew with tender chickpeas and sweet bell peppers, finished with a generous glug of olive oil and a pinch of cumin warmth. Simple, satisfying, and perfect with crusty bread.

25 MIN

Gazpacho Manchego Almond Tomato Soup

A sun-drenched Andalusian gazpacho loaded with toasted almonds and ripe tomatoes, blended until silky and finished with good olive oil. This is the kind of cold soup that tastes like August in Sevilla.

30 MIN

Crispy Garlic Cod Skillet with Almonds

A sunny Andalusian skillet dish where tender cod gets a crispy almond-garlic crust, finished with a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs. Simple, bold, and generous with the olive oil.

10 MIN

Anchovy and Chickpea Frito with Cumin and Bell Pepper

A crispy Andalusian frito of golden chickpeas and salty anchovies warmed with cumin and sweet bell pepper, finished with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of olive oil.

25 MIN

Sunny Salmorejo with Toasted Almonds

A thick, velvet smooth Andalusian gazpacho crowned with crunchy toasted almonds and a generous glug of golden olive oil. Chilled and utterly refreshing on a hot day.

30 MIN

Honey‑Glazed Cod with Smoky Paprika and Lemon

Succulent cod fillets bathed in a golden honey-lemon glaze with a whisper of smoked paprika, pan-seared until flaky and drizzled with plenty of olive oil. Simple, sunny, and proud.

40 MIN

Mussels in Smoky Tomato Sofrito

Mussels steamed open in a sofrito of garlic, ripe tomato, and smoked paprika, with enough heat under the pan that the sauce tightens and clings to every shell. The paprika gives the whole thing a deep, almost campfire warmth that feels very much like the south. Finish with parsley and bring plenty of bread to the table.

15 MIN

Cold Andalusian Gazpacho with Cucumber

Sun-ripe tomatoes blended with cucumber, green bell pepper, garlic, a splash of red-wine vinegar, and enough olive oil to make the whole thing silky — then chilled until it is properly cold, because lukewarm gazpacho is not gazpacho. Simple as that, and exactly what you want when it is too hot to do anything else. A good bowl of this is worth more than a three-course meal in August.

40 MIN

Cumin and Paprika Adobo Fried Cod

Thick cod pieces sit in an adobo of garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and red-wine vinegar long enough for the marinade to sink in properly, then fry in hot olive oil until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside is still flaky. It is the kind of fried fish you eat standing up at the counter. There is no better way.

15 MIN

Chickpea Salad with Tomato and Cucumber

Cooked chickpeas tossed with chopped tomato, cucumber, and diced bell pepper, dressed simply with good olive oil and nothing more fussy than that. It is bright and filling at the same time, and works as well beside grilled fish as it does on its own at room temperature. The kind of salad you put together in ten minutes and eat all week.

15 MIN

Andalusian Tomato Salad with Cumin

Ripe tomatoes and cucumber dressed with olive oil, red-wine vinegar, and a pinch of cumin that gives the whole salad a warmth you do not expect from something cold. It is simple enough to make in five minutes and good enough to serve to anyone. This is summer in a bowl.

30 MIN

Marinated Boquerones in Vinegar

Fresh anchovies cure slowly in red-wine vinegar until the flesh turns pearly white and tender, then get a generous pour of olive oil and a scatter of garlic and parsley right before they hit the table. It is one of those tapas that looks effortless because it is — the vinegar does the work, and you just need to trust it. Clean, sharp, and exactly salty enough.

45 MIN

Spinach and Chickpea Sevillana Stew

Chickpeas and wilted spinach brought together in a pan with garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika in olive oil — a dish that smells like a Seville tapas bar and tastes like it has been simmering for hours even when it has not. The cumin is the thing that makes it unmistakably southern. One of those vegetarian dishes that nobody misses the meat in.

40 MIN

Pollo al Ajillo Garlic Chicken

Chicken thighs browned hard in olive oil with more garlic than seems reasonable, the whole pan deglazed with a squeeze of lemon so all that caramelized stickiness becomes the sauce. The smoked paprika goes in early and blooms in the oil, giving every piece of chicken a deep, russet coating. One pan, forty minutes, nothing complicated.

35 MIN

Fried Eggplant Drizzled with Honey

Slices of eggplant fried in good olive oil until they blister and go golden at the edges, salted while still hot, then drizzled with honey that soaks in just slightly. The contrast between the crisp, oily outside and the sweet, sticky finish is one of those combinations that sounds odd until you eat it, and then you wonder why you ever doubted it.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

olive-oilgarlictomatoalmondwhite-breadred-wine-vinegarcuminsmoked-paprikacodchickpeas

Favorite tools

BlenderChefKnifeFryingPanMortarAndPestle

Reaches for

tomatoolive-oilalmondbell-peppercucumberchickpeascodanchovycumingarlic

Steers clear of

heavy-creamsoy-saucebutterketchup

Flavor Profile

The Loves

cold ripe tomatogood olive oilfried-and-saltycumin warmthsweet-savory honey

The Defaults

a glug of olive oila squeeze of lemona pinch of cumincrusty bread on the side

The Avoids

heavy cream saucesfussy platingunder-saltingcold-climate stodge