There’s quite a delightful mix of flavors in the ajvar sauce. This Serbian recipe is sweet, tangy, spicy, and smoky all wrapped into one. And don’t let the word “sauce” fool you — this is a multi-purpose relish that can serve as well as a dipper or topper as it does a traditional sauce. It’s as delicious as a pasta sauce as it is a sandwich spread or cracker dip.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet roasted pepper and smoky paprika, with briny olives, garlic and a little vinegar tang. |
| Primary heat source | Half a teaspoon of cayenne. The bell peppers have no heat at all. |
| Heat level | Mild. Cayenne runs 30,000 to 50,000 SHU, but half a teaspoon goes into a whole batch of roasted vegetables. |
| Texture | Chunky and spreadable, with a smooth eggplant base. |
| Best uses | Dip, sandwich spread, pasta sauce or a relish for grilled meats. |
| Customization ideas | A roasted hot chili for heat, olive oil for a richer spread, the grill for more smoke. |
| Before you start | About 30 minutes of work, plus 2 to 3 hours in the fridge if you want the flavors to meld. |
Flavor notes
The heat comes from half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which runs 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. Red bell peppers have no heat at all, so that half teaspoon spread across five peppers and a whole eggplant keeps the warmth gentle.
Smoked paprika brings most of the smoke. It comes in sweet and hot versions, so check the label. If yours is the hot kind, expect this closer to medium.
Give the peppers real time under the broiler. You want the skins blistered and blackened in spots, since that char adds a lot of the earthy flavor. It also helps the skins come away once the peppers have steamed in a covered bowl.
Eggplant gives the ajvar its body. You process it smooth with the olives and garlic, then only pulse the peppers in, so there’s a soft, spreadable base with chunks of sweet pepper through it.
Kalamata olives and white wine vinegar handle the salt and the tang. Olives aren’t in most Balkan ajvar, and they give this one a briny edge. So taste before you salt at the end, since the olives may have covered most of it.
And if you’ve got the time, give it two or three hours covered in the fridge before serving so the flavors can meld.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these push it toward classic ajvar or add more heat and smoke.
- Want more heat? Broil a red Fresno or two along with the bell peppers and blend them in, or take the cayenne up to a full teaspoon.
- Closer to the classic? Leave out the olives and stir in a few tablespoons of olive oil at the end. Most Balkan versions are cooked down slowly with plenty of oil, and it gives you a richer, glossier spread.
- Got Elephant Ears peppers? They’re the sweet paprika-type pepper a lot of Serbian and Croatian home cooks grow for ajvar, and you can use them in place of the bell peppers.
- Want more smoke? Char the peppers and eggplant on a grill instead of under the broiler.
- Smoother or chunkier. Process the peppers longer for a smooth sauce you can toss with pasta, or pulse them just a few times for a relish with more texture.
Serving ideas
Use it anywhere a roasted red pepper spread would work.
- With grilled meats. Ajvar is the classic partner for ćevapi, the small grilled sausages from the Balkans, and it’s just as good with burgers or grilled chicken.
- On a sandwich. Spread it on crusty bread with grilled vegetables and a little feta.
- Tossed with pasta. Loosen it with a splash of the pasta water so it coats the noodles.
- As a dip. With warm pita, crackers or raw vegetables.
- With eggs. A spoonful next to scrambled or fried eggs, with some toast to scoop it up.
Storage notes
Keep it in a covered jar in the fridge and use it within about five days. It’s a good make-ahead sauce, since it’s at its best after a few hours of chilling.
Want to keep it longer? Freeze it in small containers for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge and give it a stir before serving, because it can let off a little liquid once thawed.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Spicy Romesco Sauce: Roasted red peppers again, this time with almonds, and the same cayenne and smoked paprika pairing.
- Muhammara Dip: Roasted red peppers blended with walnuts, pomegranate molasses and Aleppo pepper.
- Spicy Baba Ganoush: The eggplant side of the family, with tahini, lemon and cayenne.
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Ajvar Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 red bell peppers
- 1 eggplant
- 6 Kalamata olives chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt
Instructions
- De-stem the red bell peppers, then cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membrane from each half. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.
- Place the vegetables, skin-side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Then place the baking sheet in the oven. Broil the vegetables until the bell peppers blister (they should blacken slightly, which gives the sauce an earthier flavor) and the eggplant has softened.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. While hot, place the peppers in a glass mixing bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to steam the peppers. Steam them until the peppers cool. This will help the peeling process later.
- Spoon out the flesh of the eggplant (remove large seeds along the way) and place the flesh in a food processor. Add the Kalamata olives and garlic to the food processor as well. Process the vegetables until smooth.
- Uncover the bell peppers, then peel off the skin (as much as possible). Place the bell peppers in the processor with the sauce. Pulse chop the peppers to form a chunky sauce.
- Pour the sauce into a bowl, then add the white wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Then add salt to taste.
- Serve immediately, or for best flavor allow the ajvar sauce to chill covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld.
Such a rich and wholesome flavor; seems to be a perfect companion to any meat or vegetable dish. Maybe even a cheese platter! Will be doing some experimenting with this, for sure.