Five EASY Spanish Tapas recipes!! All your favourites from the tapas bar – garlic mushrooms, marinated olives, Chorizo, Spanish Garlic Prawns/Shrimp, Spanish Marinated Olives and the famous Spanish Omelette (Tortilla).
This is the first of a 3 part Spanish Feast Special series that I’m sharing this week – complete with Spanish Wine pairings!
Hola! Who loves Spanish Food?? Me, me, me!!
Spanish food is made for gatherings. Tables laden with rustic food for sharing – no fussy giant white plates with a tiny portion of fancy food with names I can’t pronounce, garnished with tiny herbs and assembled using tweezers.
Spanish food is the polar opposite. Flamboyant, colourful, celebratory, generous, loud – and absolutely lip-smackingly delicious. Totally my kind of food.
And in the spirit of Spanish extravagance, this week I’m sharing something a bit special – a three part SPANISH FEAST MENU!!! 5 EASY Spanish Tapas recipes to start, a Chicken & Seafood Paella for the main and Churros for dessert. Woah! What a spread!
But wait….there’s MORE! What Spanish Fiesta would be complete without WINE??? So for each course, I have a wine pairing suggestion. 🙂 And to start? I’m grabbing this one for tapas – a Spanish Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine region. 🙂
I love the name of this wine – La Mesa Y Los Amigos which means “The table and the friends”. Perfect for tapas, no? 😉
Besides the name being perfect, it’s a really great pairing with tapas! I wanted something pretty neutral – medium bodied and smooth so it didn’t overpower the kaleidoscope of flavours in my Easy Tapas menu. This Tempranillo is a dry red with a subtle warmth of spices and it is exceptional drinking for the price which I never would have guessed as being only $12 a bottle at Dan Murphy’s (I kid you not, I was shocked). I love finding gems like this – and I love sharing these finds with you!!
A note for wine nerds: Tempranillo is a Spanish black grape variety that is native to Spain, used to make medium to full bodied wines. It’s grown fairly widely around the world now, including in Australia and the States.
EASY SPANISH TAPAS RECIPES
I think that tapas, paella and churros are probably the most well known Spanish dishes in the world and I’m pretty darn excited to be sharing those with you this week! To kick things off, five easy Spanish Tapas recipes. I’ve added notes in the recipe for how to prepare these ahead so you don’t have to be scurrying around in the kitchen when your friends arrive. 🙂
Here’s a little run down of each of the recipes in this Tapas spread.
Garlic Prawns/Shrimp and Chorizo – The two dishes that I always order at tapas bars!
Garlic Mushrooms and Spanish Marinated Olives – Possibly my favourite way with mushrooms! The olives are just plain store bought olives that are dressed with herbs and citrus. Yum!
Spanish Omelette (Tortilla) – Arguably one of the most delicious omelettes in the world and commonly served as tapas in Spain! Because this requires a few more steps than the other recipes in my Easy Tapas recipes spread, I’ve included it as a separate recipe – get it here.
Jamon, Spanish Manchego Cheese and White Anchovies – Jamon is the Spanish version of prosciutto and it’s now widely available in Australia, even in supermarkets! Manchego is a Spanish cheese that is made with sheep milk that is beautifully buttery with a mild tang – one of my personal favorites (and you know how much I love cheese!!). White anchovies are completely different to the black anchovies that come in a jar (used in things like Caesar Salad dressings) – they are way less salty and marinated in vinegar, not oil. Perfect for antipasto!
Tiempo a la fiesta!! (It’s time to feast!)
– Nagi xx
PS Don’t forget Paella and Churro to complete your feast!!
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5 Easy Tapas Recipes
Ingredients
Garlic Prawns / Shrimp
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves – 3 smashed , 1 minced
- 250 g / 8 oz raw prawns , peeled
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Finely chopped parsley
- Optional: lemon
Garlic mushrooms
- 1/4 cup olive oil (65 ml)
- 4 garlic cloves – 3 smashed , 1 minced
- 300 g / 10 oz Swiss brown or other small mushrooms
- Finely chopped parsley
Chorizo
- 2 (~250g / 8oz) chorizos , sliced (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
Marinated Olives (Note 4)
- 250 g / 8 oz plump black and green olives
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp Lemon or orange zest
- 1/3 cup olive oil (85 ml)
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1 tsp fresh thyme)
Spanish Antipasto
- Jamon cured ham
- Manchego Spanish Cheese
- White Anchovies
Spanish Omelette
- Spanish Omelette recipe here
To Serve
- Bread , Olive oil, Lemon wedges
- La Mesa Y Los Amigos Tempranillo Spanish Wine (great with tapas!)
Instructions
Garlic Prawns (Note 1)
- Place the smashed garlic in a skillet with the oil over medium heat. Sauté for 10 minutes, squishing the garlic down to squeeze juice out as it cooks, until garlic is golden brown. Then remove and discard garlic.
- Sprinkle prawns with salt and pepper. Turn stove up to high. When oil is hot, add prawns and cook for 2 minutes (for medium prawns) or until charred and just cooked. Just before the end, add the minced garlic and quickly saute, then transfer prawns into serving bowl.
- Sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes if using.
Garlic Mushrooms (Note 1)
- Halve or quarter the mushrooms, depending on size.
- Follow Garlic Prawn steps, except cook mushrooms instead of prawns. Cook the mushrooms until they are golden.
Chorizo
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook Chorizo until golden on both sides, then transfer to serving bowl, scraping in oil in the skillet.
Marinated Olives (Note 4)
- Combine ingredients in an airtight jar. Refrigerate for 24 hours – no longer than 48 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Spanish Antipasto
- Bring cheese to room temperature. Place on platter with ham and anchovies.
To Serve
- Place serving bowls / platters on table with plenty of bread to dunk into the leftover olive oil. Serve with your favourite Spanish wine!
Recipe Notes:
Giveaway CLOSED! Winners announced shortly.
ANNOUNCING: Spanish Fiesta Giveaway WINNERS!
The winners of the Spanish Fiesta Giveaway are:
Australia: Ian from the Hunter Valley, Belinda from NSW/Vic and Brittany!
Rest of world: Caitlin from Canada, Louellen from Sunny California, Sandra in the US
CONGRATULATIONS!! Each winner will receive a Spanish Fiesta prize pack of Spanish Wine, Paella Pan and Paella rice. I will email you shortly to arrange delivery!
4 x AUSTRALIAN PRIZES (Total Value A$600): 4 x Spanish Fiesta Gift Packs, each comprised of 6 x Spanish red wines (, 1 x 32 cm Miguel Maestre paella pan + 3 x paella rice. Delivered right to your door!
2 x WORLDWIDE PRIZES (Total Value US$300): Gift from me! 2 x Spanish Fiesta Gift Packs, each comprised of 6 x Spanish wines, 1 x 12″ paella pan + 1 x paella rice! If delivery is unavailable by Amazon or delivery cost is unreasonable due to winner location, the winner will receive an Amazon or Paypal gift voucher to the value of the prize.
Open To: Everyone, everywhere in this big wide world!!
To Enter: Just leave a comment below, telling me which country you live in and what your favourite tapas dish is! (PS Don’t worry if you can’t see your comment straight away, some need to be approved before they are displayed 🙂 )
Open Until: Monday 5 September 2016, AEST
Giveaway Terms and Conditions – You must be over 18 to enter in Australia, or over 21 in the rest of the world. Six winners will be randomly selected by a representative of Pinnacle Drinks. The winners will be notified by email and on www.recipetineats.com. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, another winner will be selected. For winners located outside of Australia, if the prizes cannot be delivered by Amazon.com or due to winner location, delivery cost is excessive, then the winner will receive an Amazon or Paypal gift voucher to the value of the prize.
Disclosure – This post and the Australia giveaway wine prizes are sponsored by Pinnacle Drinks, the geniuses who discovered and are spreading the love of Spanish wines throughout Australia! Wine and Spanish food lovers of the world such as myself thank you. <3
The paella pan and Paella rice included in the Australian prizes are donated by Maestre Family Food.
The Worldwide Prizes are being provided by me, Nagi Maehashi of RecipeTin Eats.
.Life of Dozer
This is the day I bought Dozer. I took my sister with me under strict instructions to ensure that I did not buy a puppy, that I was just window shopping. We had 3 puppy viewings lined up for that day.
Suffice to say, I never made the other two puppy visits.
I Love Carcamusa, with some more chilli in it 🙂
Greece Here!!
Bring on the heat! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! I am from Nebraska, USA. My husband lived in Spain for 6 years before we got married. Don’t ask me why we didn’t stay there…. It was gorgeous and we should have!!! Love the shrimp dish!!!
Much love, your recipes are awesome.
Shay
Nebraska is quite a change from Spain, that’s for sure! 🙂 Do you go back?? N x
I live in the USA and the olives looks amazing!
Pan con tomate is my favorite! and of course tortilla espanola (potatoes!)
I live in a beach town in Southern California and have been fortunate enough to visit Spain twice — making many tapas stops each time! One of my favorite ways of entertaining is to host a tapas party. I like to set out manchego, chorizo cooked in red wine, roasted red peppers, garlic toasts, salmon in red pepper sauce, patatas bravas, garlic olives, and meatballs. I don’t usually make a tortilla but I will definitely try your recipe, it looks yummy and would be a great addition. My favorite tapa? Tough question as I love them all, but it would probably be garlic shrimp.
Thanks for the giveaway….very gracious of you (and of course I hope I win). You were definitely a winner when you met and adopted Dozer!! Love your recipes and your blog.
Awwww…..what a SPREAD!!! You really know how to go all out with your tapas feast. 🙂 Thank you of reading Marion, so glad you enjoy my recipes and Dozer tidbits! N x
Every one thinks I cook a mean omelette, but after I made your Spanish Omelette, that is our favorite. Keep them recipes coming
WOAH – what?? You’ve made the Spanish Tortilla ALREADY???!!! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi
Living in South Africa, Was in Barcelona in July. The food is amazing, my nr. 1 Paella, and the Spanish Cava !!
I’m in the US, and the garlic mushrooms look amazing!
my favorite tapas is the tortilla – so delicious
I live in Melbourne, Aus and I love anything with prawns!
Hi Nagi,
I live in Melbourne and I’ve been following your blog for about a year and the recipes are amazing, simple and doesn’t require too much fancy spices/equipment (which is great!). I love reading it so much that I not only recommend it to my friends, but I also scour your site when my boxing trainer makes me go on a diet/fasting to be leaner. Then, I proceed to complain to her about how hungry I have been when looking at your site and she tells me off! LOL, don’t worry, looking at your site and planning my next flavoursome healthy (within my calorie restriction) meals is what keeps me sane in those times.
If you are ever down in Melbourne and would like good Spanish food with some flamenco show, you should hit up Kanela in Fitzroy. It is amazing! Oh, and I love garlic prawns tapas with a hint of chilli
Soy profe de español de Boston,USA 🙂
Mis tapas favoritas?? Las patatas bravas-mmmmmm:)
Ohio, USA I like marinated olives
Hi again,I forgot to mention,what a cute dog you have there! Looks like a golden retriever or maybe a yellow lab? Either way it’s adorable!! 🙂
Hi Edward! He’s a golden retriever with a ridiculous amount of fur, giant paws, a cheeky attitude and not a bad bone in his body 🙂 N xx
Hi Nag, my name is Eddy,I love paella but I’ll watch anyone of these fabulous Spanish tapas any day ,anytime ! I’m also a very big fan of your recipes,excellent is putting it mildly! Thanks for all you do! 😉
I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes Eddy, thank you for reading! Awwww….I have to say, I have a big soft spot for paella….fully loaded with seafood….. I do hope you enjoy my recipe that I just shared! N x
United States, i love chorizo!
I live in God’s country aka the northern beaches of Sydney 🙂 and my favourite tapas would have to be the Spanish omlette. Mel x
I used to mock a fellow who lives up here who calls it God’s Country….now I’m the one saying it!!!! 🙂 N x
Oh, my goodness, Nagi, you take me back! I’m from the US but Dad was in the Air Force for 20 years. My earliest memories are living in Madrid for 3 years when I was a very small child. Sometimes my parents would stop for a drink after an afternoon exploring the city or countryside, and they would give me most of the free tapas to keep me occupied while they sipped a glass of wine… hey – don’t judge – It was the 50’s! 😉 I’ve loved anchovies, olives, etc. ever since. My favorite is gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) which my all my family have made frequently over the years in the earthenware tapas dishes we brought back to the States with us. When I was a little older Dad and I would pick mushrooms together in the autumn and and make garlic mushrooms. Of course, at the time, I thought he invented it! Thanks for the memories!
Hi Nagi.
I am from Canada. My favourite tapas is garlic mushrooms. Easy to make and so delicious.
Iv Kane
I live on n the USA. We just made jalapeño poppers stuffed with cheese and shrimp then wrapped in bacon. Yum
Hi Nagi,
I’m Giulia – from Canberra, Australia. My favourite tapas dish is chorizo, and the way I love serving it is sauteeing it in a rich sauce of red wine, garlic and a touch of honey. Yum!