Two-Way Brussels Sprout Salad with Romesco Sauce
Apr 13, 2026
This is not your average Brussels sprout situation.
You get them roasted — golden, slightly charred, warm and nutty.
You get them raw — shaved thin, fresh, sharp, alive.
Then everything sits on a bold, smoky romesco sauce that carries the whole dish.
Crunch from hazelnuts. Bite from pickled onions. Peppery greens. Bright acidity.
It’s simple, but it eats like something much bigger.
Romesco Sauce (Make First)
For the base of this dish, prepare the romesco sauce from this recipe:
→ Charred Calcots with Romesco Sauce (recipe here)
Make it ahead of time. It keeps well and actually improves as it sits.
Important:
Roast an extra ½ cup of hazelnuts, and reserve about â…“ cup for the salad.
Ingredients (Serves 2–3)
Salad
- ~500 g (1 lb) Brussels sprouts
- 6–8 Brussels sprouts (for shaving, from the total)
- 1 handful radishes
- 1 handful arugula (rocket)
- â…“ cup roasted hazelnuts (roughly crushed)
Quick Pickled Onions
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced (julienne)
- â…“ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar (or panela / brown sugar)
Dressing
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Small pinch of salt
- Optional: 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
To Serve
- 2–3 heaping tbsp romesco sauce per plate
Instructions
1. Pickle the Onions
Combine all pickling ingredients in a jar with the sliced onion.
Shake or stir and let sit:
- Ideally overnight
- Minimum: 1–2 hours
2. Roast the Brussels Sprouts
- Preheat oven to 220–250°C
- Trim and halve (or quarter) the Brussels sprouts
- Toss lightly with olive oil and a pinch of salt
- Roast for ~15 minutes, until:
- Golden
- Slightly charred
- Still vibrant in color
3. Prepare the Raw Elements
- Shave 6–8 Brussels sprouts very thinly (mandolin recommended)
- Shave the radishes thinly as well
- Roughly crush or chop the roasted hazelnuts
Set everything aside.
4. Build the Salad
While the roasted Brussels sprouts are still warm:
In a large bowl, combine:
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Shaved raw Brussels sprouts
- Shaved radishes
- Hazelnuts
- Arugula
Season with:
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Small pinch of salt
- Optional: honey or maple syrup
Mix gently but thoroughly.
5. Plate
- Spread 2–3 heaping tablespoons of romesco sauce on the plate
- Build the salad on top
- Finish with:
- Pickled onions
- Extra hazelnuts (optional)
Notes
- The contrast is everything here — don’t skip the raw Brussels sprouts.
- Go light on salt. The romesco already brings depth.
- This works warm, not hot. Let the roasted sprouts cool slightly before mixing.
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