Pesto alla Trapanese – with Tomato and Almonds

Pesto alla Trapanese with tomato, almonds, and Nubian garlic

Pesto alla Trapanese is the Sicilian pesto from Trapani – made with ripe red tomatoes, almonds, basil, and the rare red garlic from Nubia. Not a green basil pesto from Genoa, but rather the red western counterpart: fruity, nutty, and savory all at once.

Pesto alla Trapanese is an uncooked pesto from western Sicily, made from 77 percent red tomatoes, ground almonds, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and Nubian red garlic. Vibrant red, coarse, and chunky, it has the fruity taste of sun-ripened tomatoes, complemented by the sweet bite of almonds and the seasoning of garlic and basil.

Red, fruity, with the bite of the almond

As soon as you open it, the pesto smells of ripe tomatoes, basil, and garlic—sunny and fresh like a Sicilian kitchen in summer. It has an intense fragrance that is not heavy, reminiscent more of a garden than of oil.

The color is a rich red, the texture coarse, with visible pieces of almond and tomato. On the tongue, you first taste the fruity sweetness of the tomato, then the nutty, slightly tart note of the almond, and finally the seasoning of garlic, basil, and pepper. Unlike a smooth basil pesto, it remains rustic and fresh; there is nothing heavy or oily about it.

For Busiate, on bread, in sauces

Its classic home is pasta—in Trapani, specifically with Busiate, the local hand-twisted pasta.

Stir a spoonful or two of Pesto alla Trapanese into warm pasta, add a little pasta water, and within minutes, you have a Sicilian sauce on the table—classic with Busiate, but also with spaghetti or penne. On toasted bread, it becomes a quick bruschetta; a spoonful adds Mediterranean zest to rice, couscous, or vegetable stir-fries, and served cold, it makes a dip for breadsticks or raw vegetables.

Because it contains no cheese, the pesto is entirely plant-based and can be seasoned freely—with a bit of grated Pecorino on top, chili for heat, or a squeeze of lemon for freshness. Alongside green basil pesto and other varieties of pesto, it provides a red, fruity contrast.

From Trapani, with garlic from Nubia

Pesto alla Trapanese originates from western Sicily, where Genoese sailors once introduced pesto.

In Trapani, Genoese sailors and their green pesto encountered the red tomatoes and almonds of the south—and thus the red, Sicilian variation was born. Almonds instead of pine nuts, tomatoes instead of just basil—that is the signature of the West. Its secret is the Aglio Rosso di Nubia, red garlic from Nubia near Paceco; it is mild and refined in taste, a Slow Food Presidium, and has been grown in the salty coastal soil for generations.

It is prepared and jarred under the roof of the Antica Bottega Siciliana, run by Salvatore Novara in Trapani. He brings together products from small island producers—pestos like this one alongside honey, jam, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Add only to finished, warm pasta

Pesto alla Trapanese is not cooked along with the dish—add it only to the finished, warm pasta so that the fresh tomato and basil retain their aroma. A little leftover pasta water makes the sauce creamy. Once opened, cover with a film of olive oil and store in a cool place; it will keep for a few days. Take it out in good time; it tastes rounder at room temperature than straight from the cold.