To Turn the Humble Scallion into a Star, Grill It

To mix things up, we looked to something slightly unexpected yet altogether familiar: the humble scallion. 

We’ve grilled scallions before but mostly to use as components of other things: a burger or taco topping or an element of a salad or salsa. To let this everyday ingredient shine, we found inspiration in a traditional Catalan feast (from the province of Tarragona on the Mediterranean coast) known as the calçotada (“calsotada”), which celebrates the harvest of slender, local onions called calçots (“calsots”). In Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (2005), Chef José Andrés concurs, “[The tradition of calçotadas] has a great future in America.”

At calçotadas, calçots are grilled over open fires until their outer layers are blackened. Then they are wrapped in newspaper and left to soften before being unwrapped, peeled of their outer layers, dragged through vibrant romesco (sometimes called salvitxada or salsa de calçots), and devoured. 

To re-create this festive experience in our own backyards, we had to make a few adaptations to the cooking method, primarily because scallions are smaller than calçots and need only be lightly charred rather than blackened. And their outer layers can be enjoyed rather than discarded. 

To complete the dish, we developed a recipe for traditional romesco made from dried ñora chiles, tomatoes, garlic, nuts, bread, olive oil, and vinegar. Many versions outside Catalonia (including some of our recipes) omit the tomato and dried chile and rely on roasted red peppers; this recipe favors the classic tomato and dried chile components. 

We love to serve our grilled scallions with romesco, but they are also delicious with a squeeze of lemon or a simple vinaigrette as an easy summer side.