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’m thinking the Spanish omelette is just the ticket while watching American football on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Just prop me up and lay a huge slice on me, accompanied by a cold lager. Doesn’t get any better than that!
Even better than a big bowl of Buffalo Wings???? Now that’s a tough call for me….I am VERY fond of wings…..
I live in Montreal, Canada
My favorite tapas dishes are : garlic prawns and Spanish omelette.
Hi Nagi,
I’ve been looking forward to your Spanish Paella recipe after trying your Easy Paells with great success! Can’t wait to make the mushroom tapa, too.
I live in Utah. My favorite tapas is marinated olives. They are so simple and so delicious! Perfect with a glass of wine…
Hi Nagi,
I am from Brisbane, Australia and love, love, love your site! My favorite tapas??? Prawns or chorizo! Can’t wait to try out your paella recipe. Thank you ??
Hi Nagi, first have to say I love your posts. Always inspiring and make me want to get into the kitchen. My favourite Spanish tapas dish is a recipe for a croquette using amazing Spanish ham . We have it with another dish of white anchovies, olives and thinly sliced garlic. Just makes my mouth water thinking of it.
I am in AUSTRALIA on the Gold Coast QUEENSLAND.
Keep up the great work
Kerry
Hi, I live in New Zealand. Love your recipes. Spanish food is not something I have tried but love your Tapas recipes. I feel a Spanish evening coming on. Cheers !!
I am from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. My favourite tapas dish is a paella with lots of Sangria to wash it down.
I have never tried tapas but would love to. I live in the USA.
Howdy from Austin, Texas, USA!
My favorite Tapas would have to be Gambas a la Plancha or just a plate of Jamon y Manchego, both with a nice glass of Tempranillo.
Also a nice dish of Paella is also nice!
I have made a bunch of your recipes and they never disappoint. Keep up the great work, Nagi!
Being from the United States I am fortunate to have travelled to Spain several times. My experiences always remember fondly the tapas served where ever we went. My favorite is tortilla Español I must admit that my wifes’ version is exceptionally good. It is always exciting to see the variations in cooking from one area of the country to the other.
Hi Nagi,
I live in Thompsons Station, Tennessee (just south of Nashville). My favorite tapas are the garlic prawns.
Hi Nagi, I live in far west Texas, United States. My favorite tapas dish would probably be the Spanish Tortilla, something I’ve been wanting to make for a few years now. Thank you for sponsoring this giveaway!
Hello from California! So glad I stumbled upon your website. I’ve tried many of your recipes and they’ve all been a hit! My husband and I were recently in Barcelona and enjoyed the tapas and paella 🙂 My favorite is would be the prawns. Can’t get enough of them!
I’ve had trouble downloading the free cookbooks for signing up for your email. Maybe you could help me?
Thanks!
Hi Nagi,
I’m from a suburb of Calgary, Canada, and I’ve tried your Garlic Prawns and Spanish Tortilla. Both are really yummy. Besides, I also like Beef tenderloin roast with honey carrots and black pepper (Lomo de buey asado con zanahorias a la miel y pimienta negra).
Best wishes and cheers!
Hi Nagi!
I’m from Montreal, Canada, and I’m currently living in Cork, Ireland for a year.
I love tapas. Tapeo in Montreal is one of my favourite restaurants.
I looooove Manchego cheese, but my favourite tapas dish is cod fish cake.
Thanks for all your good recipes! 🙂
United States of America. I love the meats, but most of all I love them shared with my husband of 26 years.
Hi, I’m Sara! I live in Idaho in the US and my favorite spanish tapas dish is jamon serrano with manchego cheese and some good crusty bread. These recipes are making me hungry!!
I live in the state of Arkansas in the United States and I have never (to my knowledge) tried tapas. But since you have included recipes I guess it’s time to try it. And I can’t rate the recipes but they look interesting. I don’t know Chorizo or Prawns (I do have some shrimp in the freezer) but am interested in the mushrooms and olive dishes. Never had antipesto either but it may be time to do so, lol. Thanks
Hello!! Love these recipes; thank you for them! I live in San Antonio, Texas and my favorite is Spanish omelet (my mom learned to make them when we were stationed in Rota, Spain back when I was a kid) and garlic prawns – yum!!!
Thanks so much and thanks for keeping the recipes coming; they are awesome!