Cold sauces & condiments
Xató sauce
Salsa de Xató · A cold Catalan emulsion-style sauce from the Garraf and Penedès regions, built on toasted almonds and hazelnuts thickened with bread, perfumed with ñora pepper and garlic, and bound with olive oil and vinegar. It is a reusable base condiment, not a finished dish, and is the defining dressing of the Xatonada salad as well as a dip for vegetables, seafood, and bread.
The formula
1:1 nuts:oil by weight, 3:1 oil:vinegar, 1 slice bread per ~160 g nuts
Nuts equal oil by weight; vinegar acidulates at roughly one third of the oil; bread binds ~6 % of the nut weight.
Identity
- Catalan cold sauce originating in the Garraf and Penedès counties south of Barcelona
- Name derives from 'aixetó', the small wooden tap hammered into the wine barrel to draw off new wine
- Traditionally served during the Xató Route winter-spring festivals held in towns such as Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú and Vilafranca del Penedès
- Closely related to — and often conflated with — romesco, differing mainly in bread proportion and a milder, less smoky profile
- Functions as a reusable condiment base: dressing, dip, or sauce for cooked vegetables and seafood
Ingredients
| Base | Almonds (toasted) | Provide primary body, sweetness and emulsifying proteins; ~60 % of the nut mass. |
| Base | Hazelnuts (toasted) | Add aroma and rounded fat; classically ~40 % of the nut mass. |
| Binder | Fried or toasted bread (vinagreta-soaked) | Softened with vinegar; absorbs liquid and gives the sauce its characteristic spoonable, not pourable, body. |
| Flavor | Ñora pepper (dried, seeded, soaked) | Provides the defining red color and sweet-bell-pepper fruitiness; sometimes supplemented with a touch of pimentón dulce. |
| Aromatics | Garlic | Used raw in modern versions; traditionally roasted with skin on for mellower heat. |
| Fat | Extra virgin olive oil (Arbequina preferred) | Emulsifies the crushed solids into a thick, glossy sauce. |
| Acid | Vinegar (white wine or wine vinegar) | Acidulates and lifts the dense nut paste; also used to soak the bread. |
| Seasoning | Salt and freshly ground black pepper | Balances the nuts and brightens the ñora. |
Method
- 1Toast the almonds and hazelnuts lightly until fragrant and the hazelnut skins rub off; cool completely.Roasting develops the nutty aroma that defines the sauce and improves grindability; over-toasting turns the oil bitter.
- 2Soak the ñoras in warm water for 20–30 min, then scrape the soft flesh from the skins and discard seeds.Rehydrates the dried pepper and releases its sweet-fruity pulp; seeds add harshness.
- 3Fry or toast a slice of bread, then soak it in vinegar until pliable.Pre-toasted bread soaks up liquid without turning gummy and contributes emulsifying starch and a tangy backbone.
- 4In a mortar or food processor, pound the garlic, salt, ñora flesh, soaked bread and nuts to a coarse paste.Sequencing solids first lets the hardest, driest ingredients break down into a stable matrix that can later accept oil.
- 5Drizzle in the olive oil slowly while working, alternating with small splashes of the soaking vinegar or water until a thick, spoonable emulsion forms.Gradual addition allows the nut proteins and bread starch to emulsify the oil into a stable, glossy sauce rather than a broken oily paste.
- 6Adjust salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar; rest covered in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.Chilling lets the flavors meld and the sauce thicken to its final dipping consistency.
Techniques that matter
Toasting nuts to the 'just fragrant' stage
Develops aroma without driving off too much oil or creating bitterness.
Rehydrating and scraping ñora
Releases the pure pulp while avoiding the harsh capsaicin-bearing pith and seeds.
Gradual oil emulsion over a solid paste
Builds a stable, mayonnaise-like structure from nut proteins and bread starch instead of egg yolk.
Cold resting before service
Allows the dense nut paste to hydrate fully and flavors to round out.
Variations & derivatives
Xató of SitgesSitges, Garraf
Includes 2 desalted anchovies in the sauce and a touch of fresh chili; served over escarole with marinated cod (esqueixada) and tuna.
Standard Garraf-Penedès XatóGarraf / Alt Penedès
Plain nut-and-ñora version without anchovies or chili; sometimes a pear tomato is added for color.
ABC / home-style XatóCatalonia (home kitchens)
Adds 3 pear tomatoes and 1 tbsp pimentón dulce for a sweeter, deeper-red profile and a half-teaspoon of sugar to balance acidity.
Romesco-leaning variantTarragona coast
Increases the bread and ñora, reduces hazelnuts, and leans toward the romesco template often served with calçots.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Ñora pepper → Guajillo chili (or a mix of mild New Mexico + Anaheim) — Clove Garden notes guajillo as the closest non-Catalan equivalent; keep seedless for mildness.
- Hazelnuts → More almonds, or blanched Marcona almonds — Mild color and flavor shift; slightly less aromatic.
- Fried bread slice → Fine dry breadcrumbs soaked in vinegar — Easier to grind; yields a slightly less rustic texture.
- White wine vinegar → Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar — Sherry vinegar is closest; red wine darkens the color.
- Fresh garlic → Roasted garlic (with skin) — Traditional and milder; swap 1 raw clove for ~2 roasted cloves.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is too thick and pasty to dip
Not enough working liquid, or bread absorbed all the vinegar → Whisk in cold water 1 tsp at a time until it drops slowly from a spoon.
Sauce is thin and oily (broken)
Oil added too fast, or paste was too dry when oil was introduced → Crush another tablespoon of nuts with a splash of vinegar and fold the broken sauce into it to re-emulsify.
Bitter or harsh flavor
Over-toasted nuts, under-rubbed hazelnut skins, or ñora seeds left in → Strain out solids if severe and rescue with extra soaked bread, a pinch of sugar and more vinegar.
Pale, washed-out color and weak aroma
Not enough ñora flesh, or peppers were boiled instead of soaked → Bloom 1/4 tsp pimentón dulce in a little warm oil and fold through to deepen color and aroma.