Salsa Brava (Bravas Sauce)
Salsa Brava is usually served with the popular tapa, patatas bravas: fried potatoes smothered in a spicy red sauce. It requires a handful of ingredients, little effort, and barely any time to whip up! Serve this piquant condiment with potatoes, fish, chicken, and more. This recipe will yield just over a cup of sauce.
Servings: 16 tablespoons
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes, more or less to your liking
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Infuse the oil. Set a medium skillet over medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil and sliced garlic. Cook, stirring until the garlic has turned golden and the oil is shimmering, this should only take a couple of minutes.
- Discard garlic. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard or keep for other uses.
- Finish the sauce. Lower the heat and add the tomato paste, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch; whisk to combine. Slowly add the vegetable broth, and whisk until the broth is incorporated and the sauce has a smooth, velvety consistency. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, whisk again, and remove from the heat.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle over your patatas bravas store for another use. Allow the sauce to cool before transferring to the fridge.
Notes
- This sauce is meant to have body but still be able to drizzle. It will thicken as it sits. If it is too runny as you are finishing it, you can add a little more cornstarch, but be careful, as it can get too thick.
- For a less spicy option, use fewer red pepper flakes. For more heat, use more or add some hot smoked paprika.
- How to use bravas sauce: Use salsa brava on patatas bravas. But I like to use it on pan-seared salmon or sautéed cabbage as well! See my post for more ideas.
- How to store and reheat salsa brava: Store the sauce in a jar for up to 4 days. To reheat, transfer it to a pan and reheat over medium heat. It will have thickened in the fridge, so feel free to whisk in some water or broth (1 tablespoon at a time) until you reach the consistency you want.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 34.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.2g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 3.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.5g | Sodium: 69.1mg | Potassium: 19.9mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 206.8IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 2.1mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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