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.
Living in Australia.
My favourite is the mushrooms. They are my favourite ingredient of all time, so I’m happy just eating this as a meal in itself. Sometimes I’ll just have this with some fresh crusty bread….heaven
I live in Australia too and absolutely agree!!! Mushrooms for the win! 🙂
I tried to give the shrimp recipe 5 stars. but it somehow failed.
Hi we live in USA more specifically Texas which some claim is a separate country. We adore the garlic prawns. The chorizo is wonderful for a party too!
Ba ha ha that’s so true!!! I adored my time in Texas. 🙂 No contest – best BBQ ever! N x
The country that I live in is the United States. As for my favorite tapas, I cannot choose just one as I love food and I love the ingredients in each of them. If I have to choose, then I would say that my favorite is the Garlic Mushrooms. Since I was a child I’ve loved mushrooms, and if possible I would eat them in everything.
I live in Hungary and I just love roasted peppers a la plancha 😀
Garlic prawns….hands down…..!! Pat from the USA…!
U.S. resident here and my favorite tapas are jamon!
Jamon is possibly my favourite cured meat EVER!
USA. Love tortilla
Good morning Nagi, came across your website a couple of weeks ago and an avid fan ever since.
My name is Carolyn and I live in central Scotland and although we have some of the best beef in the world in Scotand I have just discovered Basque beef from a company called Turner & George and it is the best EVER, served rare in small slices with a dab of Dijon mustard or horseradish….oh and a cheeky glass of full bodied Rioja….yum and simple.
Oooh! That sounds INCREDIBLE Carolyn!!
I live in Melbourne and have a definite weakness for stuffed zucchini flowers.
My complements on the website
Stuffed zucchinis are the BEST!!! I really must try to make it sometime myself!
Hi Nagi! I live in Australia. My favourite tapa is the home made marinated olives, yum!!
Hello, I live in Nelson, New Zealand 🙂 The recipes above are so drool worthy! I love flatbread with hummus, caramelized onions, black olives and white anchovies, yuuum!
Have a great day!
Ooooh Caramelised onions! They’re incredible in anything!!
Greetings from Canada! Any tapas is my fave tapas if it comes with wine/Sangria 😉 Almendras al Pimentòn is a great starter (smoked paprika almonds). Also, I’ve been meaning to write and tell you how much my family loves your recipes. When delicious smells are coming from the kitchen, my husband is now conditioned to ask, “Is that a Nagi special you’re cooking?” (It always is) Keep up the amazing work!!!!
Awww Lori! I’m sitting here grinning like a fool reading your message! Thank you so much for trying my recipes, it means so much to know that people all around the world are enjoying them! Good luck in the giveaway – and YUM to smoked paprika almonds, I really should make them myself soon! N x
Hi Nagi,
I live in Co Donegal in Ireland. I have had Tapas many times and love it, very hard to choose my favourite but I’ll say a wonderful plate of melt in the mouth jamon (ham), patata brava’s (fried potato with spicy sauce and sepia la plancha (grilled squid) yum!! All with a glass of wine of course 🙂
Kind regards
I’m with you Shell, impossible to choose just ONE!!
My favourite dish would have to be “mejillones con tomate y pimiento”, or mussels in a tomato and roasted red capsicum salsa with warm crusty bread to mop up that delicious sauce!
Oops, forgot to mention I’m in Australia!
YES to mussels! I absolutely adore mussels, so so much!
I live in California and I love paella. I recently discovered your website and I have already tried several recipes. My family has enjoyed all of them. My go to site now for recipes. Tasty and easy recipes.
Thank you for trying my recipes Nancy! And good luck in the giveaway!! 🙂 N x
Hello! My name is Vanessa and I live in the US. My favorite tapas are marinated olives, YUM! Keep up the wonderful work, I can’t say enough wonderful things about all of your recipes!
Thank you Vanessa! And good luck with the giveaway! 🙂 N x
I am in Adelaide and I love Paella. But easily my favourite tapas is patatas bravas. Best holiday ever in Nerja for Spanish Xmas. Happy memories!
What a way to spend a Christmas!!
Hi Nagi, I live in Canada precisely in Ontario. I have never tasted any kind of Tapalas , I can’t wait to try the recipe.
Have a good day !!!
Hi Meydge! Hope you do try one of these, they really are so delish!
I love most tapas selections but my favorite is chorizo, cut into slices and savored with bread for soaking up any juices. Please enter me in the Spanish give-away contest. I live in the USA and Amazon regularly beats a path to my door.
I hear you Mildred! Chorizo is just so good….Spanish or Mexican, I love them both!