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.
Cannot get enough of the marinated olives..
even added feta chunks with olive oil to the marinated olives the next time around. wait a couple of days.. delicious..
garlic prawns yum can’t go wrong there, patatas bravas (even when my cousin attempted it and it took him 4 hours to make!!)… I’m a kiwi living in the USA – my aunt just passed this website on to me (she’s a kiwi living in China currently) and the recipes are awesome. Keep it coming!
Hey there, Nagi!
I live in the US, in Ohio, to be a little more precise 🙂
My favorite Tapas dish would have to be the Spanish Antipasto! I love a good antipasto, I can eat it as it’s own meal.
Hi. I’m from Maryland, USA. I’m of Spanish origin, but I love to cook all kinds of food. I love your wonderful photos of the paella and the tapas. I especially like Serrano ham and Manchego cheese for tapas, and chorizo marinated in red wine. I would like to ask though why you use raw chorizo instead of the cured for the paella?
Thank you,
Norma
I’m in North Carolina, USA.
Favorite tapa – Jamón Serrano or Jamón Ibérico, if affordable.
I’m in the U.S.A. I’m a big fan of olives, but I can’t declare them my favorite yet — I have quite a few to try!
I live in Hood River, Oregon and my favorite Tapas are the garlic prawns, mushrooms and chorizo and I can’t wait to try the Spanish omelette. I really love your recipes, they are easy to prepare and always delicious.
I live in Illinois, in the US, I had a hard time choosing my favorite because I love them all. But if I have to choose one, it would be the grilled prawns.
Hi Nagi,
Just gotta say that I love your site since I came across your ham egg and cheese bread bowl recipe! And totally getting hooked on Recipe Tip Japan!
I live in Wales, so Spain isn’t too far for me, but I went for the first time this Easter! I went to Costa Brava and on a day trip to Barcelona had amazing tapas! I thought my favourite tapas would have been the chorizo slices, but my sister made me try calamari and it was INCREDIBLE! So that’s definitely my favourite tapas now but I can’t wait to try these!
Thanks for the amazing recipes! 🙂
Hi Nagi!!!
I live in Braga, Portugal (neighbour of Spain!) and I love spanish cousine! My favorite tapa is mushroom with garlic ❤️
I want to ask you to try some portuguese recipes too, we have a lot of seafood and fresh fishes, perfect for food lovers (on diet or not!)
With lot of love, pri
Nag-
Actually I have never had tapas, look forward to trying one.
Hey Nagi!! This post is CRAZY. I can’t believe you made the whole feast. I just bounced back here from your paella recipe – and wow you really do make it sound simple. I’m in the US. Texas!:D my favorite tapas? Easy. Any with chorizo!
I am an Aussie living in London but I have made several trips to Spain and love everything about it – the people, the countryside, the cities, and the AMAZING food! I used to have to try very hard not to steal my wonderful Spanish housemate’s jamon, which isn’t just my favourite tapas, it’s one of my favourite foods all together. Fortunately, even when I did take a little, she forgave me 😉 (Her Mum’s croquettes are amazing, too!)
Magi, I love the Spanish tortilla. I absolutely love paella. I am in Ottawa, IL. USA.
I love trying new things, and have never made one of your recipes that anyone has not loved. Thank you.
Sorry auto correct. Nagi
I live in Maryland, USA. I love all kinds of tapas – they are such a great way to have a bunch of different foods for one meal! My favorite has to be garlic prawns with some nice crusty bread for sopping up those juices – HEAVEN! Marinated olives and mushrooms are a close second!
I’m in the US and love any tapas that include chorizo.. it’s one of my favorites…
I can’t pick just one! All food is great, I really appreciate the recipes for this spread (all your recipes have been great and fun, I like to venture from the NORM!) this looks like a good early Fall idea at the lake In Virginia United States.
Hi Nagi,
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and I love all your recipes. I have not had much experience with tapas so I was very excited to see your tapa recipes and paella all look delicious and easy to prepare. I love them all but my favorite is with fish and seafood. This one I have had at a local tapa bar in Winnipeg and loved it….Anchovy Toast, Piperade, Crème Fraiche.
Thanks so much for your great recipes.
Hiya Nagi,
Awesome post. I LOVE LOVE LOVE tapas. I’m often in Madrid feasting on literally hundreds of tapas.
I’m based In Zürich, Switzerland and my favourite tapas are Angulas! Tiny elver eels sautéed with garlic and chillies. Absolutely awesome!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Ronnie
I am obsessed with tapas too!! I could seriously live on it forever and ever… 🙂
You’ve gotta visit Madrid and Barcelona, you’d go absolutely wild!
Writing from my home country, Spain.
It’s great to see spanish food here, Nagi, and I enjoy how you enjoy the richness of ‘real people’ food. My favourite tapa is gambas – shrimps/prawns – done as you have them here, with garlic.
Your description of Spanish food as ‘Flamboyant, colourful, celebratory, generous and loud’ is a description of us as a people as well – thank you! And as one such – a true Andalusian – I like to believe the origin of tapas to indeed have been in my home area. (Longer story if you wish :). )