A crisp and delicious smoky Mediterranean-inspired dish
This Crispy Cauliflower with Romesco and Feta includes spiced crispy panko-crusted cauliflower steaks (or florets) nestled over a bed of deliciously smoky, savory, and acidic romesco sauce. A generous sprinkle of salty feta cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley finishes the dish. This stunning veggie dish works beautifully as a side dish for grilled proteins or served among mezze and tapas for a Mediterranean feast.
The red-orange beauty known as Romesco Sauce
Knowing how to make a couple of quick and delicious sauces is a great way to elevate the flavor of your meals without putting a crazy amount of extra time in. The bright red-orange beauty known as Romesco Sauce is one of my favorite quick and tasty sauces, which includes a blend of smoky red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, and lemon. It also comes together in only 5-minutes (or so) in your food processor!
Prepping the cauliflower into steaks and florets
There are two ways to prep the cauliflower for this dish: sliced into cauliflower “steaks” or portioned out into bite-sized florets. The cauliflower steaks are really fun to make, but it’s nearly impossible to slice an entire head of cauliflower into steaks without the shorter end pieces breaking apart from the crown. My preferred way to make this dish is to slice the cauliflower crown into as many steaks (about 3/4 inch wide) as possible and break the remainder into bite-sized florets so it doesn’t go to waste. If you prefer to break the entire crown into bite-sized florets you absolutely can do that too. To portion the cauliflower crown into steaks:
- Remove the outer leaves and trim any woodiness off of the end of the cauliflower stem, then turn the cauliflower crown right side up, with the stem end down.
- Slice the crown from the top down into “steaks” about 3/4 an inch wide. If you’re working with a large cauliflower, you should get around 6-8 steaks from the center. Portion the remaining cauliflower into florets.
What type of feta is best?
I prefer to use Greek block feta in brine for this recipe, when possible. The saltwater brine helps to ensure that the feta stays fresh and creamy and also elongates the life of the feta, which is nice if you plan to tuck it in the fridge for a few extra days before using it. If you are unable to find Greek block feta in brine, the vacuum-packed blocks are also perfectly reasonable to use in this recipe, though they may be slightly less creamy. I would avoid pre-crumbled feta for this dish, if possible, as it tends to be drier and less flavorful than block feta.
What should I serve with this recipe?
I love serving this Crispy Cauliflower with Romesco and Feta recipe as a side dish or as an appetizer. It pairs wonderfully with easy mains like grilled or roasted chicken, fish, steak, or pork, but also makes for a wonderful small plate amongst other mezze or tapas such as hummus, olives, and sliced veggies. Some of my favorite recipes on the blog that you can pair this dish with are:
- Shrimp in Romesco Sauce with White Beans
- Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri
- Greek Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
- Crispy Oven-Fried Fish
- Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A food processor
- A cutting board
- A chef’s knife
- A kitchen scale –OR — measuring cups (for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- 3 wide, shallow bowls
- A fork
- A large skillet (I prefer to use a large cast-iron skillet to get particularly crisp edges)
- A metal spatula/turner
- A large plate lined with paper towels
- A citrus zester
- A citrus juicer
- A can opener (unless using jarred tomatoes)
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more side dish inspiration?
Love this Crispy Cauliflower with Romesco and Feta recipe? Here are some more of my favorite side dish recipes:
- Roasted Delicata Squash and Beets with Horseradish Cream and Candied Walnuts
- Roasted Greek Potatoes with Whipped Feta
- Pressure Cooker Artichokes
- Mediterranean Roasted Rainbow Vegetables
Crispy Cauliflower with Romesco and Feta
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
This Crispy Cauliflower with Romesco and Feta includes spiced crispy panko-crusted cauliflower steaks (or florets) nestled over a bed of deliciously smoky, savory, and acidic romesco sauce. A generous sprinkle of salty feta cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley finishes the dish. This stunning veggie dish works beautifully as a side dish for grilled proteins or served among mezze and tapas for a Mediterranean feast.
Ingredients
For the romesco sauce: This batch will make twice as much as needed for this recipe, so feel free to halve this recipe or reserve half of the sauce for a later date
- 16 oz jar fire-roasted red peppers, drained (12 oz without liquid)
- 6 (about 1 1/2 cups or 341 g) whole fire-roasted canned tomatoes
- 157 g (about 1 cup) unsalted roasted almonds (may sub for roasted hazelnuts if you prefer)
- 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil — OR — 3 cloves garlic + 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp zest + 5-6 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
For the cauliflower:
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 80 g (about 2/3 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- 120 g (about 1 1/3 cup) panko bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 3/4 tsp dried dill
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 3 oz (about 6 tbsp) olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
To finish:
- 6 oz block-style brined feta cheese, brine discarded and crumbled
- Optional: Additional fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (to top)
Instructions
- Prep the romesco sauce. Add all ingredients for the romesco sauce to your food processor or high-powered blender. Pulse until the mixture has reached your desired level of smoothness. I like mine a little on the gravelly side because I like the texture, but you can blend until it’s super smooth and creamy if you prefer. Reserve to the side. * This batch will make twice as much as needed for this recipe, so feel free to halve this recipe or reserve half of the sauce for a later date. When stored properly in the refrigerator, it can keep for up to 10 days.
- Prep the cauliflower. Remove the outer leaves and trim any woodiness off of the end of the cauliflower stem, then turn the cauliflower crown right side up, with the stem end down.
- Slice the crown from the top down into “steaks” about 3/4 an inch wide. If you’re working with a large cauliflower, you should get around 6-8 steaks from the center. Portion the remaining cauliflower into florets.
- Prep three wide, shallow bowls on your countertop as dredging stations. One should contain the flour whisked with salt and pepper, the second should contain the eggs whisked with 1 tbsp water, and the third should contain the panko bread crumbs tossed together with the dried parsley, dried dill, and paprika.
- Heat 3 tbsp (1 1/2 oz) of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Using your hands, dredge a cauliflower steak in the seasoned flour, coating all sides, then dredge in the egg mixture, then finally cat it in the seasoned panko mixture.
- Place the steak in the hot skillet and repeat with as many cauliflower steaks as will comfortably fit in the pan. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until the panko coating is crisp and lightly golden, then flip and cook the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Once fully cooked, reserve the cauliflower steaks to the side on a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up any extraneous oil. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower steaks until they are all fully cooked and reserved to the side, adding additional olive oil to the pan between batches, as needed.
- For the additional florets (or if you are cooking florets only) dredge in the same way you would the cauliflower steaks: first in the seasoned flour, then in egg mixture, then finally in the seasoned panko. Fry in the skillet turning every 2-3 minutes until evenly crisp and golden, then reserve to the side on the paper-towel-lined plate.
- To plate, spread a portion of the romesco sauce on a plate, then top with crispy cauliflower. Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top and finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 372
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 599 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 58 mg
Keywords: romesco, cauliflower, feta cheese
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