Catalan Roasted Vegetables
Escalivada: Simple Vegetables, Big Catalan Flavor
Escalivada is one of those dishes that proves simple food can be incredible.
It’s just vegetables — eggplant, peppers, and onions — roasted until soft, slightly charred, and full of smoky flavor. Then finished with good olive oil and a little salt.
🔥 The magic is in the roasting — soft, smoky, slightly charred vegetables.
🫒 Olive oil and salt do the rest. Nothing complicated, nothing wasted.
Simple, rustic, deeply Mediterranean — and very Catalan.
Escalivada: Catalan Roasted Vegetables
At its core, escalivada is a simple combination of bell peppers, eggplant, onions, and tomatoes, roasted with plenty of olive oil until soft and full of flavor.
Over time, variations have appeared — sometimes adding zucchini or using different types of peppers — but the idea stays the same: let the vegetables do the work.
🔥 Traditionally, the vegetables are cooked directly over open flames, giving escalivada its signature smoky flavor.
These days, most people use the oven — and it still works beautifully.
Once roasted, the vegetables are peeled, sliced, and arranged into a simple, colorful dish.
A final drizzle of good olive oil, a splash of sherry vinegar, and a pinch of salt is all it needs.
Where to Eat Escalivada in Barcelona
If you’re in Barcelona, escalivada isn’t hard to find — but a really good version stands out immediately. Look for places that focus on traditional Catalan cooking and simple ingredients done well.
🏡 Traditional & Local
Bar Boter (Gràcia) is a good place to look for classic Catalan home cooking and a traditional-style escalivada.
🍷 Rustic Catalan Vibe
Taverna El Glop is a solid option for traditional Catalan dishes, rustic flavors, and simple ingredients done well.
🍽️ Classic Barcelona Institution
Can Culleretes is one of Barcelona’s classic restaurants and a good place to experience old-school Catalan cooking.
🍤 Tapas Style
Cervecería Catalana and similar tapas bars are good places to try escalivada alongside other Barcelona classics.
👉 The best escalivada is usually the simplest — slightly charred vegetables, good olive oil, and nothing else getting in the way.
Culinary Versatility
Escalivada isn’t just a dish — it shows up everywhere.
It can be served on its own, as a side, as a tapa, or alongside grilled meat or fish. You’ll often see it on bread, paired with anchovies, or as part of a larger spread of small dishes.
🫒 Simple ingredients, but a surprisingly complex flavor — smoky, sweet, and deeply Mediterranean.
That flexibility is exactly why it’s become such a staple in Catalan cooking.
Escalivada Ingredients
Simple ingredients, done right — that’s the whole point of escalivada.
🥒 Core Vegetables
- Eggplants
- Red bell peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onions or shallots
🫒 Flavor Base
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sherry vinegar (vinagre de Jerez)
(red wine vinegar works too) - Garlic, minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
➕ Optional Additions
- Black olives
- Anchovy fillets
- Fresh parsley
👉 The better the olive oil, the better the dish. This is one of those recipes where quality really matters.
How to Make Escalivada (Catalan Roasted Vegetables)
Prep the vegetables: Lightly rub eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and onions with olive oil.
Roast until charred: Roast in a hot oven (or over open flame) until the skins are blistered and slightly blackened.
Steam and peel: Transfer the hot vegetables to a sealed bag or covered bowl and let them rest for 10–15 minutes. This makes the skins easy to peel.
Slice and arrange: Peel the skins, remove seeds if needed, then slice the vegetables into strips and arrange them on a serving dish.
Make the dressing: Whisk olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper, then pour over the vegetables.
Finish and rest: Top with olives and parsley, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors can develop.
👉 Serve cold or at room temperature with crusty bread — it actually tastes better after it rests.
Escalivada Tips & Tricks
🌡️ Use the right temperature
Roast at around 350°F (170°C) so the vegetables soften and concentrate in flavor without burning.
💨 Steam to peel easily
After roasting, place the vegetables in a sealed bag or covered bowl. The steam loosens the skins so they slide off easily.
🔥 Don’t fear the char
A little blackening is what gives escalivada its signature smoky flavor.
🍞 Serve it the Catalan way
Pair with allioli and coca bread or good crusty bread for a traditional finish.
👉 Let it rest before serving — escalivada tastes better once the flavors have had time to come together.
Escalivada: Catalan Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 420°F or 225℃. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Lightly rub the eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions with olive oil and set them on the prepared baking sheet. Turn the vegetables halfway through cooking. Roast until the skin is blistered and lightly blackened.
- Roast the vegetables for about 40 minutes, and the onions will likely take an additional 10 minutes or so depending on their size.
- Put the eggplants and red peppers into a plastic bag, seal and let them rest for about 15 minutes. This will loosen the skins. After they are cool enough to handle, carefully peel the skins off the vegetables and remove the stems. Gently scoop out the seeds from within the eggplant and peppers, and tear or cut the flesh into strips. Slice the peeled onions with a knife.
- Whisk together the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper, and dress the vegetables, lightly tossing to help incorporate the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Arrange the vegetables in a serving dish and top with olives and chopped parsley.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to marry. Serve cold or at room temperature, with crusty bread.
Escalivada: Catalan Roasted Vegetables Pairs well with:
The garlic, olive oil sauce is more flavorful than I expected. I served it with a dab of cream cheese on crusty ciabatta. Next time I will make a double batch. Do you know if I can freeze it?