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Serves: 4-6
In Catalonia, the Picada is essential to so many recipes. You can sprinkle on top of braised short ribs, stews, grilled fish or add to sauces as a thickening agent. Think of it like a type of pesto without olive oil but dry and crumbly. The Italian version would be the gremolata (but without the almonds). It is a delicious garnish that has many variations. You can also add in toasted saffron to give it a more rustic flavor.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cups Marcona Almonds
- ⅔ cups Parsley (chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (medium to large size)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- lemon zest
Instructions
- Smash the garlic, almonds and parsley with the salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a course paste.
- Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
- Add the zest of one lemon.
- Sprinkle on top of soups, short ribs, fish or add to thicken sauces.
Notes
If you don't have Marcona almonds, you can substitute roasted slivered almonds or roasted blanched almonds. You can also combine with hazelnuts or pine nuts. Some recipes called for fried bread.
I love my Mortar and Pestle. This one is from our village in Catalunya that I’ve had for over 20 years. I fondly look at the chips on the side and think of all of the sauces and allioli it has held over the years. As you can tell, the ingredients are all intact before the pounding occurs.
You can see in the recipe below how the Picada is used to go on top of the braised short ribs.
