Bravas sauce: the traditional Spanish recipe

Bravas sauce is a spicy sauce that is prepared using tomatoes as a base. It is used in most of the classic Spanish dishes and only a few essential ingredients are required to prepare this delightful sauce.

It is the smoked paprika that gives it that unique flavor and spiciness. It is believed that bravas sauce was originated in Madrid along with the hugely popular patatas bravas. You just have to drizzle this iconic sauce over some fried potatoes to create this simple, flavorful, and satisfying Spanish classic.

Instructions

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick pan. Add the chopped onion to it and cook the onions until they turn soft. Stir in the garlic cloves, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, and cook everything for a minute.

Add the chopped red tomatoes and give everything a nice stir. After 30 seconds, pour water in to the pan and season the sauce with salt and sugar.

Add a bay leaf and cook it on simmer until the sauce turns slightly thick and dark in color. Remove the bay leaf and slightly cool down the sauce mixture.

Puree the sauce until it turns smooth and add the sherry vinegar and Tabasco to it. Blend everything again until it mixes well. The bravas sauce is ready to be used!

Tips

You may store this sauce in the refrigerator once the sauce cools down. Keep it covered in an air tight container for a prolonged shelf life. Be careful before you blend the bravas sauce and let it cool down to room temperature before you start blending it. Use fresh red tomatoes instead of canned ones to enjoy better flavors of the sauce. You might need to check the seasoning before you start using it.

Nutritional information (per serving): 26 Calories, 1.5g Total fat (0.2g Saturated fat, 0.2g Polyunsaturated fat, 1.0g Monounsaturated fat), 0mg Cholesterol, 123mg Sodium, 97.7mg Potassium, 2.9g Total carbohydrates (0.6g Dietary fiber, 0.5g Sugars), 0.5g Protein