Pesto alla trapanese (also pesto trapanese or matarocco) is Sicily's raw almond-tomato pesto—a vibrant, uncooked sauce of blanched almonds, fresh ripe tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil pounded in a mortar or blended to a coarse, rust-coloured cream that dresses busiate (the local hand-twisted pasta) with a sauce that captures the Sicilian summer in a bowl. This is the Sicilian cousin of Genoa's basil pesto, but where the Ligurian version is green, pine nut-based, and cheese-enriched, the Trapanese version is red-tinged, almond-based, and cheese-free (though some modern versions add pecorino)—reflecting the Arab influence that shaped western Sicily's cuisine. The almonds should be blanched (skinned) and lightly toasted for depth; the tomatoes must be ripe, fresh, and flavourful (San Marzano or similar); the garlic is used raw and should be fresh and not too sharp; the basil is generous; and the olive oil is Sicilian—fruity and robust. The traditional preparation uses a mortar and pestle: almonds and garlic are pounded first to a coarse paste, then tomatoes (peeled, seeded, roughly chopped) are added and pounded in, followed by torn basil and olive oil. The result should be coarse, not smooth—textured with visible almond pieces and tomato chunks. The sauce is never cooked—it dresses hot pasta straight from the mortar. Busiate (the local spiral pasta from Trapani, twisted around a thin stick) are the canonical pairing, though any short pasta works. The dish is a triumph of raw, uncooked flavour—bright, nutty, garlicky, and intensely fresh.
Raw/uncooked sauce. Blanched almonds, ripe tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil. Pound in a mortar (or blend coarsely). Coarse texture—not smooth. No cheese traditionally. Pairs with busiate. The sauce is Sicilian-Arab in origin.
Lightly toasting the blanched almonds (5 minutes in a dry pan) adds depth without losing the raw, fresh character. Cherry tomatoes from Pachino or datterini are excellent choices for their sweetness. The mortar-and-pestle version has a superior texture to the blender version. If using a blender, pulse—don't purée. Add the oil last, in a stream, to emulsify slightly.
Over-blending to a smooth purée (should be coarse and textured). Using unripe or out-of-season tomatoes (the raw tomato flavour is central). Cooking the sauce (it's raw—heat destroys its freshness). Using pine nuts instead of almonds (different pesto). Skinning the almonds poorly (blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then slip skins off).
Mary Taylor Simeti, Pomp and Sustenance; Clifford Wright, Cucina Paradiso