A Selection of Easy To Prepare Spanish Recipes
One of the great pleasures of visiting Spain is the delicious food on offer, and there are plenty of easy to prepare Spanish recipes to enjoy.
Spanish cooking has something for everyone with its diverse use of fresh ingredients, flavours and cooking methods.
These authentic Spanish recipes will help you enjoy a little bit of Spain in your very own kitchen with typical dishes such as Paella, oven-baked sea bass or garlic prawns.
Cooking is fun so please try out our selection of some of the best recipes from Spain.
Our Top Spanish Recipes Include
- Rice In a Casserole
- Moorish Chickpeas and Spinach
- Roast Quail with Braised Lentils, Chorizo & Butternut Squash
- Seafood Paella
- Pork Rib and Asparagus Paella
- Chicken and Pork Paella
- Salmorejo
- Meatballs in Almond Sauce
- Fried Eggplant Sticks
- Galician Hake
- Chicken Chilindron
- Valencian Paella
- Mar Menor Fish Stew
- Gazpacho Andaluz
- Fried Squid
- Madrid Chickpea Stew
- Oven-Baked Sea Bass
- White Fish Soup
- Canary Island Wrinkled Potatoes
- Seafood Rice
- Saffron Rice
- Chicken & Seafood Paella
- Chicken in Garlic
- Tuna Fish Soup - Marmitako
- Oxtail Soup
- Red Pepper Salad
- Mushrooms in Garlic
- Spanish Coleslaw
- Prawns in Garlic
- Spanish Tortilla
- Pan Grilled Prawns
- Mussels in Vinaigrette
- Pan-Fried Mushrooms in Garlic
- Sardines On A Spit
Learn how to cook one of the most famous Spanish recipes
Guest Spanish Recipes
Catalan Home Cooking - From Nuria at A La Taula
1/2 cup of dry wild mushrooms
1 big sweet onion, small diced
1 red pepper, small diced
3 medium-size plum tomatoes medium size, grated
450 gr pork ribs, chopped
350 gr chicken, chopped
2 medium-size cuttlefish with the spleen (about 700 grams)
600 grams of “bomba” rice (paella rice)
3 liters fish stock (best made with rockfish and shellfish)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
- Soak the mushrooms with half a liter of warm water for about 30 minutes or more.
- Heat up a big casserole and add a generous amount of olive oil.
- Season the chicken and brown all sides. Put this aside.
- Season the pork ribs and brown all sides. Put this aside.
- Fry the cuttlefish. Season and put this aside.
- Add more oil if needed and fry the onion and pepper until soft and caramelized. Add the shredded tomatoes and cook until caramelized and it gets the consistency of a jam.
-Put back the pork, chicken and squid and the squid spleen. Stir and mix well and add the rice. Add the fish stock to cover (should be at boiling temperature) and cook for 5 minutes in high flame. Reduce the flame and cook for 10 more minutes until rice is almost done. In this time add more stock at boiling temperature if needed.
- Before the rice is almost cooked, add the soaked mushrooms.
- Let the rice rest covered with a kitchen towel for 3 minutes. Serve with some parsley on top and enjoy!
Home cooking from Lynsey at La Rosilla
An earthy frugal dish, which has been enjoyed and adopted by families all over rural Spain for years. The chickpea is a very important ingredient in Spanish cooking. This dish can be enjoyed as a tapa, or as a main dish. Equally enjoyable served hot or cool as an accompaniment for meat dishes.
Ingredients
- Jar of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- Olive oil
- 4 tomatoes skinned and chopped
- 1 x red onion sliced
- Fresh spinach
- Cumin seeds
- Dried mint
- Chilli or harissa paste
- Salt and pepper
- Cinnamon and lemon to serve
In as saucepan, heat olive oil and gently fry onions until softened
Add cumin seed and harissa
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 mins add dried mint
Add seasoning and chickpeas bubble for 5 mins
Add spinach put lid on and let spinach wilt down
Stir and adjust seasoning
Serve in rustic bowls with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of cinnamon and chopped parsley.
Huerta, Granja y Montes - Roast Quail with braised lentils, chorizo & butternut squash with a morcilla scotch quails egg.
INGREDIENTS: Serves 4
FOR THE SCOTCH EGGS
Quails Eggs
100 g Sausage Meat
50 g Morcilla
Fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp Plain flour
- Bring a small pan of water to the boil, and add quails eggs for exactly 1 minute 50 seconds. Then immediately put the eggs in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process for 5 minutes.
- Mix the sausage meat and morcilla together, I used a hand blender.
- Put the Breadcrumbs, egg, and flour in 3 separate bowls.
- Carefully peel the quails eggs.
- Take a spoon of morcilla mix and carefully wrap around the quail’s eggs.
- Dip the covered quail’s egg in flour, egg wash then breadcrumbs.
- Refrigerate until later.
FOR THE LENTILS
Glug of Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 red onion diced
2 sticks of celery finely chopped
100g Chorizo diced
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary leaves finely chopped
1/4 small Butternut squash diced
200g cooked Pardina lentils
Sploosh of Palo Cortado Sherry
In a pan add olive oil and gently saute the onion, celery, and butternut squash until tender.
Add the chorizo, rosemary, and garlic – saute for 5 minutes.
Add the sherry and bubble down for 1 minute.
Add cooked lentils and stir through to combine all ingredients.
Keep warm and set aside.
FOR THE BUTTERNUT PUREE
1/4 Butternut squash in chunks no need to peel.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Sherry Vinegar
Place the butternut on a baking tray and drizzle with Olive oil and season.
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until tender.
Place in a bowl and blend to a puree add sherry vinegar and glug of olive oil.
Keep warm.
FOR THE QUAILS
4 Quails
Olive oil
Butter
Salt & Pepper
Season the quails, inside and out.
In a pan melt the butter and olive oil and heat to high.
Add the quails and brown on all sides.
Roast in the oven 180c for 15 minutes.
Leave to rest in a warm place.
Whilst the quails are resting, the lentils are being kept warm, time to fry the scotch eggs.
Heat a small pan of vegetable oil to 180C, then gently lower the eggs in and fry for 3 minutes.
Take out of oil and place on a plate with kitchen paper to absorb the oil.
NOW TO PLATE
Spoon the lentils onto a warm plate, place the roasted quail on top & drizzle with Olive oil.
Spoon on some puree and add the scotch egg cut in half to allow the oozy yolk to be seen.
The Paella Club Barcelona
Ingredients
- 80g Chopped onions 80g
- 180g Calamari
- 80g Chopped red pepper
- 1 Garlic glove
- 80g Crushed tomatoes
- 200g Arroz bomba.
- 4 Prawns.
- 500g Seafood Broth
- 500g Lemon rind
- 2 Sprigs of Saffron
Preparation:
- Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to the paella pan, and add the garlic and lemon rind, roast until garlic is nice and brown before removing
- Now that the pan is hot and has some flavor, sear the prawns, 30 seconds on each side, pressing on the heads after the first flip. Remove set aside, cook calamari rings for 30 seconds while stirring. Remove and set aside.
- Add the finely chopped onions to the pan and caramelize until golden brown, mince the garlic and add into the pan
- Add the red peppers and continue to cook until the peppers are soft
- Add the crushed tomato and cook together until the majority of the water has evaporated.
- Add the saffron and mix until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Add the rice into the pan, and mix with the sauce, adding some olive oil to fry the rice. Cook rice for 3 minutes
- Add the broth and slowly mix it into the rice while turning heat to max power. Once the broth boils, turn it down to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes.
- Place the seafood back onto the paella in a decorative manner
- Cook paella in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 60g Mushrooms
- 120g Pork Ribs, Cubed.
- 200g Bomba rice
- 80g Sweet onion
- 90g Fresh tomato puree
- 1 Garlic clove
- 500g Pork and Mushroom broth 500g
- 80g Asparagus chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2 Sprigs Saffron
- 1 tea spoon Paprika
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Turn stove to medium heat and add oil to the pan.
- When the oil is hot, cook garlic clove until golden brown.
- Remove and begin searing the pork until 50% cooked. Remove and let rest.
- Add oil and onion to the pan. Chop garlic and add to onion until soft.
- Add asparagus and mushrooms.
- Add the tomato pure and cook until water has slightly evaporated.
- Add the rice and mix well, making sure all the rice is covered in the sauce.
- Add broth and turn to high heat, cook until it reaches a boil.
- Once boiling turn the heat down to medium and cook for 4 minutes, Note: Do not stir the rice after this point.
- Place the ribs back onto the paella
- Place paella into the oven for 15 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic 1
- ½ Lemon rind
- ½ lemon
- 80g red pepper
- 160g Chicken
- 160g Pork ribs
- 80g Sweet onion
- 70g Fresh tomato puree
- 2 sprigs Saffron
- 200g Bomba rice
- 500g Chicken broth
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Turn on the stove to medium heat, add the extra virgin oil and roast garlic and lemon rinds until slightly toasted. Remove garlic and lemon and set aside.
- Sear the chicken and pork on both sides until 50% cooked.
4. Add onions, slightly caramelize, while this is caramelizing chop the roasted garlic and add it to the pan. Add red peppers, continue to caramelize until golden brown. Add the tomato and cook it down.
- Make a center in the paella, add oil and stir in the saffron.
- Once the sauce has cooked down, add the rice. Mix well and make sure the sauce covers all rice grains and stir for the next two minutes.
- Add the Broth and turn the induction to high until boiling. Once boiling turn the heat down to medium. Arrange pepper strips and meat into a decorative pattern and cook for 4 minutes. Do not stir the rice after this point.
Place paella in the oven for 15 minutes until rice has absorbed the remaining liquid.
Toma & Co Cooking Classes Andalucia
Ingredients 4 Persons
- 1kg ripe tomatoes quartered
- 1 small green pepper (Italian pepper style) seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped (adjust the quantity to taste)
- 1 big slice bread soaked in water and squeezed
- 80ml extra virgin olive oil (approx.)
- Salt
- 1 tbsp vinegar
Garnish: 1 hard-boiled egg finely chopped and Serrano ham or tuna flakes, also roasted almonds flaked with Serrano ham (Parma ham will do also) are great
Preparation:
Following this traditional Spanish recipe involves using plenty of bread as a thickener and also as a way to give another “chance” to stale bread. I only use 1 slice of bread or nothing at all to enhance the flavor of vegetables, but don’t forget that this is a thick cream, so squeeze the tomatoes to avoid an excess of liquid if you are not using much bread.
Green pepper can also be avoided if you prefer, as there are different versions of this recipe and some of them don’t use any pepper.
Sherry vinegar adds a great flavor, but you can use any vinegar you may like (Modena vinegar is not a good option in this case though).
Halve the tomatoes and squeeze them to remove the excess of liquid if necessary* (choose a fleshy variety like Roma, in Spain they are called “tomate pera”). Put them in a mixer along with the green pepper, garlic, wet bread, a tbsp vinegar and salt. Blend until you get a fine paste.
With the motor running pour slowly the olive oil and continue blending to emulsify and get a more creamy texture.
Pay attention to the mixture color, when it turns from red into orange stop adding oil.
Pass it through a sieve to eliminate seeds and keep refrigerated until serving.
Serve very well chilled and garnished with the chopped egg and thin strips of ham or tuna flakes.
Ingredients: For around 30 meatballs
250grms ground pork +250grms ground veal (or any other meat you may prefer)
Meat seasoning:
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 2 slices white bread crust removed, soaked in milk or water and squeezed
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 onion grated (optional)
- 30grms grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Thyme or cumin, a handful chopped parsley, salt and black pepper
Almond sauce:
- 200ml water or chicken stock
- 80ml dry white wine
- 2 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 1 slice day old country bread crust removed
- 15-20 blanched almonds
- Parsley, 1 clove, turmeric (or saffron threads), salt and black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Use a large bowl to season the meat with all the ingredients, working with a fork or your hands until they are well incorporated.
Let the mixture refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
Preheat the oven at 180-200º and shape the meat into one-bite-size balls, greasing your hands with olive oil to make it easier. Place them on the oven tray covered with a baking sheet and bake them until slightly brown, about 10min. (they will cook further in the sauce). Shake the tray after 5min. to turn the balls.
You can also deep fry them in plenty of olive oil (this would be the traditional way)
In the meantime prepare the sauce: fry the almonds, a small bunch of parsley, bread and whole garlic cloves until golden brown (not burnt!). Remove and transfer to a blender vase adding the water or stock, allow it to hydrate for a few minutes and blend until you get a fine mix, or leave it not too fine to add some crunchy texture. This mix, without the water, is called “majadillo”.
Heat a pot and put the meatballs along with the white wine. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated, then add the almond blend, 1 clove, turmeric, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir carefully and let it cook for about 10 min. or until
Ingredients: ( 4 People )
- 2 medium size eggplants
- All purpose flour to coat
- Olive oil for deep-frying (or any other vegetable oil if not available)
- Salt
- Molasses or “porra” to drizzle over or dip the sticks
Preparation:
Slice the eggplants in and cut the slices into regular sticks (the size of French fries).
(Traditionally the eggplant would be cut into thin slices but sticks are lighter and have a nicer texture)
Toss them with salt, place in a colander and let them stand for at least ½ hour to eliminate bitterness and liquid.
Place the sticks in a bowl with the flour and coat them well, shaking off any excess.
For better results repeat the coating shaking off again.
Heat plenty of oil in a deep pan and in batches (not too many at a time) fry the sticks, stirring gently, until golden. Place on the colander used before or a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess of oil.
Serve immediately sprinkled with salt (if needed) and a drizzle of molasses or Salmorejo. They are also great just with salt.
Forks are not allowed!!
Cooking Classes In Spain
A great way to learn all the classic Spanish recipes
If you’re a foodie, you’ll be delighted to find that it’s customary to have more than just three meals per day in Spain. And you’re certainly not limited in your choice by the huge number of Spanish recipes on offer.
There are also plenty of opportunities to participate in cooking classes in Spain as they are readily available all around the country. Cookery classes are a great way to learn how to cook the most popular Spanish recipes whilst providing an interesting insight into Spanish culture, plus you get you meet lots of like-minded people in fun and relaxed surroundings.
And if you fancy really immersing yourself into the Spanish way of life why not try one of a number of traditional Spanish cooking classes available throughout Spain.
No matter where you plan to travel, check out this mouth-watering map that shows some of the traditional Spanish cuisines across the country. From the delicious paella in Valencia to the savory empanadas in La Coruña, you’ll get a little taste of all that Spain has to offer!
This is a popular dish from northwest Spain noted for its fresh fish and seafood.
Ingredients
1 kg hake
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized onion
2 kg potatoes
1 tablespoon of flour
Seasoning: salt, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, paprika
Preparation
Use the central part of the fish. Clean it well and cut it into thick slices.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Chop the onion into small pieces and fry; stir continuously until the onion turns golden brown.
Then add two cloves of crushed garlic, a tablespoon of chopped parsley and another not very full one of paprika.
Cut the potatoes into not very large slices of about 6 mm and mix well, sprinkling the tablespoon of flour over everything. When the potatoes are fried, just enough water is added to cover them. Then the right amount of salt is added as well as six peppercorns and a clove of garlic, both ground, and bay leaf, thyme and parsley.
Cook the stew for a quarter of an hour and when the potatoes are done, put them into a clay dish.
The slightly salted hake slices are arranged on top of the potatoes. Put the dish into the oven for another ten or twelve minutes.
Serve in the clay dish.
Recipe for Chicken with tomatoes and peppers “Pollo al Chilindron”
This dish is very popular in the North East of Spain although eaten throughout the country. A tasty chicken dish characterised by its vibrant red colour provided by fresh tomatoes and red peppers.
Ingredients
1 small chicken cut into pieces
4 large tomatoes
4 small red peppers
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 dl Good quality Olive Oil
150 g fresh ham
Paprika
1 glass of white wine
Seasoning: garlic, chili pepper, salt
Preparation
The chicken joints are sautéed until they turn golden brown and then put aside.
Prepare a fried mixture of tomato, red pepper, onion, chili pepper and plenty of chopped garlic.
Put the chicken and the fried mixture together and cook for five minutes.
Then add thinly sliced semi-cured ham and cook for another five minutes.
The dish is now ready to serve.
Goes well with pasta.
This recipe for Spanish Paella is Valencian style although it is just one of many used in the Valencia regions and can easily be adapted to your own personal taste.
Ingredients
600g of dessert or other short-grained rice. The best rice to use is called Bomba as it holds 3 times more liquid than regular rice.
1 small chicken, skinned cut into around 8 to 10 pieces on the bone
4 large fresh Mussels
4 large fresh prawns
2 large chopped tomatoes
1 large sweet red pepper
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
200 grams of green peas – fresh is better but frozen is fine
2 cloves of garlic
A few strands of saffron ( if not yellow colorant is fine )
1 medium-sized sweet red pepper
Salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
2 lemons
Stock / Water
Preparation
A large flat low sided pan is the most ideal for cooking the recipe for Spanish Paella.
Place the pan over the heat and add the olive oil, garlic and a little salt. When it is hot add the chicken pieces frying them over a low heat until golden brown.
Add the chopped tomatoes and peas and the chopped sweet pepper and bay leaves, fry a little longer then add the rice, stir and mix well so each grain of rice is coated with oil, then add a good amount of the stock so it almost fills the pain along with the yellow colorant.
After boiling for 15 minutes, place the mussels and prawns evenly around the dish, then cook for about 8 minutes over fast heat and over a low heat for the rest of the time, until the rice is cooked. When cooked take off the heat and leave for 5 minutes under a clean cloth to settle.
To serve, place the paella dish in the middle of the dining table with lemon wedges placed around the dish on top of the rice.
Observation: The amount of stock and the correct heat is very difficult to get right in theory. Practice will teach the correct measures for the rice to be just right.
There are a wide variety of recipes for Paella in Spain. In each case, it is cooked with the ingredients available at that time in the year. Many people like it with fish only or meat only or a mixture of both at the same time.
Experimenting makes a perfect Paella and you will end up with a dish that suits your taste.
Fish stew from El Mar Menor – Caldero de Pescado al Estilo del Mar Menor
This recipe for fish stew Mar Menor style uses all the fresh fish available in the Murcia region located on the east coast of Spain.
Ingredients
6 red mullets
6 whiting
1 John Dory
3/4 kg grey mullet
1 angler tail
2 chilli peppers
1 onion
1/2 kg potatoes
400g rice
200g ali-oli (a garlic and olive oil sauce)
Seasoning: garlic and bay leaf
Preparation
The different types of fish are very typical of the Mar Menor area and give the stew its characteristic flavour. Cook the angler, red mullet, John Dory, the onion (in quarter pieces), a clove of garlic and a bay leaf together with several small potatoes in water to which salt has been added.
Poach the ingredients for half an hour on a low heat.
Then add the whiting, red and grey mullets and cook for another ten or fifteen minutes.
Add the two fried chili peppers and two or three cloves of garlic (all of it crushed).
Remove the broth from the heat and take out the fish, the angler tail and the potatoes. Remove the bones and leave them with a little broth near the heat.
Strain off the rest of the broth, crush the remaining pieces and pass them through a strainer. Use the broth to prepare rice which should be rather soupy.
Serve the rice first and then the fish arranged on a separate plate with the potatoes. A rather strong ali-oli ( Mayonnaise and Garlic ) sauce is served as an accompaniment.
Recipe for Gazpacho Soup – a popular cold vegetable dish from Spain
This refreshing dish has its origins in Andalucia in southern Spain, although influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Moors and Arabic cultures. It is mostly known now as a tasty cold soup eaten mostly in the summer months.. The original recipe was stale bread, olive oil and garlic all mashed up with some vinegar or water in a mortar. Other vegetables that were available at the time were also added, such as tomatoes and almonds. The following recipe for Gazpacho soup is a traditional one but can be adapted to suit your taste.
Ingredients
1/5 kilograms of ripe peeled tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 half of a cucumber.
1 clove garlic
5 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
150 grams of crusty bread soaked in olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Chopped Parsley
Croutons
Garnish
1/3 of the Red and green peppers finely chopped
1/2 finely chopped onion
Croutons soaked in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 small tomatoes finely chopped
Preparation
This is one of Spain’s most famous dishes and apart from the basic ingredients, it can be prepared in many different ways to suit all tastes. This is one of our most popular and easy ways to prepare Gazpacho Andaluz.
Place the chopped garlic and peppers in a blender with a little sea salt and black pepper and blend for a 30 seconds
Add the chopped peeled tomatoes moistened crusty bread and blend until you have all the ingredients are blended to a fine consistency.
Then slowly add with a wooden spoon the olive oil stirring continuously. When it has all been absorbed, add a small amount of cold water and then strain ( if you prefer your Gazpacho course then do not strain )
This can be served with our without a garnish of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber and croutons. Each one should be placed in a separate small dish so each person can add as required.
Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Recipe for Spanish style deep-fried squid rings – Calamar Frito
Calamar frito is one of the emblematic fish dishes in Spain and so easy to prepare. The secret is making sure your squid is super fresh and not overcook.
Ingredients
450g fresh squid, cleaned and cut into rings
I cup of plain white flour
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
olive oil for frying
1 lemon, cut into wedges
salt
Preparation
Clean, rinse and dry the squid well.
Cut into rings.
Put the flour into a wide-bottomed bowl and toss the squid rings in it, until lightly coated. Then dip the pieces into the beaten egg.
For deep frying use good quality oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil for an extra special taste.
Make sure the oil is very hot, drop in the squid, a few rings at a time for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown.
Drain the rings well, place on a serving dish, sprinkle with some salt and garnish with the lemon wedges.
This dish is well accompanied by garlic mayo and lemon juice.
Recipe for Madrid Stew – a Chick Pea Stew – known as “Callos”
Callos is eaten all over the Iberian peninsular although its origins are thought to be from the Madrid area hence the most famous recipe is known as “Callos a la Madrilena” Callos Madrid Style. Really though its true origins are not known, recipes though for Callos have been found in books dating back to 1599. Callos has been known as a typical Madrid dish since the 19th Century.
Ingredients
1-kilo parboiled tripe
4 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 tbsp Spanish olive oil
2 tbsps Spanish pimentón ( paprika)
250gr chorizo, sliced
2 Spanish morcilla (blood sausage), about 150gr, whole
4 wineglasses dry white Spanish wine
8 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
3 tbsps fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
8 cloves
20 peppercorns
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 fresh chilies, chopped
350gr cooked garbanzos (chickpeas), drained
5-6 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped
Salt
Preparation
Soak the tripe for about 5-10 minutes, rinse thoroughly and drain well. Cut it into 5 cm squares.
In a large, heavy-based pot, heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until lightly golden.
Stir in the pimenton ( paprika ), tripe, chorizo, and pour over the wine. Bring to the boil and stir in the tomatoes, thyme, chili, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Now add the morcillas ( black pudding) and cook over very low heat until the tripe is tender, which could be between 1 and 2 hours, but taste after one hour.
Once the tripe is ready, discard the bay leaves, stir in the garbanzos (chickpeas) and heat through for about 5-10 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle over the chopped parsley.
Recipe for Oven-baked sea bass – known as Dorada al Horno
Sea bass is readily available all over Spain and this recipe is a simple way to prepare and cook what is known in Spain as Dorada al Horno. There are many types of sea bass but Dorada is probably one of the most popular and economical of the bass varieties used in Spanish cooking.
Ingredients
1 cleaned large sea bass around 1 kg.
2 lemons
1 small glass white wine
3 ripe tomatoes, skinned and sieved
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Sprig parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
1 crispy lettuce, finely shredded
Extra virgin olive oil and salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to medium-high, around 200C.
Spread the onion over the bottom of a shallow ovenproof dish and lay the fish on top.
Drizzle over some oil and lemon juice. Add the strained tomatoes, wine and sprinkle over the bread crumbs which have been mixed with the parsley and garlic.
Drizzle over a little more oil and place in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes, basting occasionally with the juices from the fish.
When the fish is cooked, transfer to a hot serving dish and cover with the sauce.
To garnish, surround with lettuce and some slices of lemon.
Ingredients
This is a very easy and quick to prepare dish. This soup is ideal if your feeling the effects of the night before or are recovering from
a stomach bug.
You will need (serves 4):
1/2 k of Hake ( Frozen is fine )
1 Large Potato
1 Large RipeTomato
1 Green Pepper
1 Onion
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Litre of water
Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Lemon
Preparation
Whitefish soup is quick to prepare rustic dish so there’s no need to spend to much time on chopping the ingredients into small even pieces, with this dish rough is good.
Peel and roughly slice the potatoes, onions, green pepper and garlic.
Cut the hake into around 4 to 5 large pieces.
Place the water into a medium-sized saucepan and simply add the Potato, pepper, tomato, garlic, salt and pepper and a small amount of virgin oil to the water, bring to the boil then slowly simmer for about 20 minutes to half and hour in the covered saucepan.
Add the hake pieces and slowly simmer for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 3 minutes.
Pour in a generous amount of olive oil and the juice of the lemon.
This recipe was kindly supplied by Iain and Gayle at Orce Serrano Hams
Recipe for Canary Island wrinkled potatoes “Papas Arrugadas” Served with red pepper sauce – Mojo Picon
Ingredients
1 kg small potatoes
1/4 kg of sea salt
Seasoning: parsley, olive oil, vinegar, chilli pepper
Preparation
Patatas viejas is a very popular dish in the Canary Islands.
Wash the potatoes well but do not remove the skin.
Put them in a pan and add enough water to cover them, together with half a kilo of sea salt.
Cook until the skin is wrinkled (ie, arrugada).
Drain the potatoes and place them on a plate.
A salad dressing is added individually to suit.
Usually a little sweet chilli pepper is added as well.
Te wrinkled potatoes can an be eaten with fish and meat dishes alike.
The most authentic sauce though to accompany the potatoes is called ” Mojo Picon ” it is quite pungent and has an unusual and tangy taste, here is the recipe.
Mojo picon - Chutney
4 sweet dried red peppers
1-2 slices of trimmed dry stale white bread
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet red chilli powder ( Pimenton )
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 cup of quality extra virgin Spanish olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken broth or water
Spanish sherry vinegar to taste
Preparation
Soak the dried red bell peppers in a bowl or pan of warm water for around 15 minutes which will soften and rehydrate them.
Drain water and remove the stems.
Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
Chop or break the stale dry bread into small pieces.
Place the peppers, garlic slices, cumin and pimenton and salt in a food blender to create a coarse paste.
Then drizzle in olive oil gradually.
Add the small pieces of the dry bread and enough water or chicken stock keeping a nice thick consistency to the sauce.
Add a small amount of the vinegar to your taste.
This sauce goes perfectly with the patatas Arrugadas as well as fish and meat dishes.
Recipe for Seafood Rice from Spain – Arroz Abanda
Ingredients
1/2 kg (1 pound) prawns, in their shells
1 1/4 l (5 cups, 2 pints) fish broth
1 dl (1/2 cup, 4 ounces) olive oil
4 garlic cloves minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
Few strands saffron or pinch of powdered saffron, diluted and crushed in small amount of hot water
575g (2 1/2 cups, 1 pint) short-grain rice
Few drops dry white wine
1 kg (2 pounds) cooked fish and shellfish, for example, hake, halibut, swordfish or mussels
Lemon wedges for garnish
Preparation
Bring fish broth to boil. Add shrimp and cook, covered, for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Strain, reserving the broth. Keep broth warm.
Shell half amount of cooked shrimp and finely chop then set aside.
In large saucepan, heat olive oil. Cook garlic, onion, tomatoes, parsley, paprika and saffron. Simmer about 2 minutes.
Stir in rice and mix well to coat with oil. Brown rice in olive oil for 3 minutes. Pour in boiling hot fish broth and chopped shrimp. Bring to boil and cook over medium high heat, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Lower heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Sprinkle wine over rice and cook over high flame for a few seconds. Mound on a warm serving platter and pass with ali-oli sauce. ( Garlic and mayonnaise ).
Serve fish and shellfish on a separate platter, garnished with lemon wedges.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1.5g strands saffron
(1 teaspoon) or a few pinches of powdered saffron, diluted and crushed in small amount of hot water
400g (1 3/4 cup, 14 ounces) short-grain rice
Salt
8 dl (3 1/2 cups, 28 ounces) tomato paste
Parsley leaves for garnish
Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan and sauté onions until soft.
Stir in saffron, rice and a pinch of salt. Add hot broth. Bring to boil. Lower heat and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in tomato paste and 3 tablespoons butter. Quickly put rice in a mold, pressing down lightly with a spoon.
Remove from the mold onto serving dish and garnish with parsley leaves.
Spanish chicken and seafood paella recipe – Paella Con Pollo y Marisco
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves finely chopped.
8 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1g saffron strands or 1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
Sea salt
1/4 l (1 cup, 8 ounces) olive oil
50g (3/4 cup, 6 ounces) cured ham, chopped
100g (4 ounces) chorizo sausage, sliced
1 kg (2 1/2 pounds) chicken, cut into small pieces (about 14)
1/4 kg (1/2 pound) squid, cut into small pieces
1/4 kg (1/2 pound) halibut, cut into small pieces
1/4 kg (1/2 pound) swordfish, cut into small pieces
1/2 kg (1 pound) small or medium shrimp, shelled
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 kg (1/2 pound) cooked small clams, in their shells
1/2 kg (1 pound) cooked mussels, reserve few shells for decoration
675g (3 cups, 1 1/2 pounds) short-grain rice
1 lemon
1 litre (4 cups, 1 3/4 pints) hot chicken broth
3/4 l (3 cups, 24 ounces) hot fish broth
1/2 kg (1 pound) large crayfish
Parsley sprigs and lemon wedges for garnish
Preparation
In a small bowl or mortar, mash the garlic, parsley, saffron and salt. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a paella pan with a 15-inch (40 cm) base. You can also use any large flat round pan.
Add chopped ham and chorizo.
Fry, stirring for a few minutes, remove and place on a warm platter.
Add chicken pieces, sprinkled with salt, and fry over high heat until golden on all sides. Remove to a warm platter. Add squid, halibut and swordfish. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and fry. Remove to a warm platter.
Add shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until barely pink. Remove to a warm platter.
Add chopped onion, tomato and peppers. Sauté until soft. Return the cooked ham, chorizo, chicken, fish and shrimp to the paella pan.
Add the parsley-garlic mixture. Add cooked clams and mussels. discard any that have not opened.
Stir in rice, and juice of 1 lemon. Fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Pour over the hot chicken and fish broth, while stirring. Bring to a fast boil.
Decorate with large crayfish around the edge of the paella pan.
Simmer for 20 minutes, without stirring. Turn off the heat and shake the pan lightly to prevent the rice from sticking.
Cover with dry towel for 10 minutes. This allows rice to absorb any excess broth.
Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs before serving.
Chicken in Garlic - “Pollo al Ajillo”
Ingredients for Chicken in Garlic
1 dl (1/2 cup, 4 ounces) olive oil
Approx. 1 1/2 kg (2 1/2-3 pound)chicken, cut in small serving pieces
Salt
1 head garlic, minus 2 cloves, minced
1 dl (1/2 cup, 4 ounces) water
Juice of 1 lemon
Few strands saffron or pinch powdered saffron, diluted and crushed in a very small amount of water
Preparation
Heat oil in a large pan. Add chicken pieces and cook over moderate heat until golden brown. Then place the chicken pieces in a large, shallow casserole and season.
Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Saute the garlic. Stir in water and bring to boil and pour over chicken.
Add lemon juice and saffron.
Cook, covered, over low heat about 15 minutes or until meat is tender.
Serve, spooning sauce over chicken. We suggest a light, dry red wine, for example, a Torres Coronas from Catalonia or Señorío de Sarria from Navarra.
Recipe for Spanish Tuna Fish Soup – “Marmitako”
Marmitako is the traditional Basque Quiso Marinero – a tasty fish stew, prepared in an earthenware casserole. Fresh tuna is one of the favourites of Basque cuisine. It is caught at the end of the summer while chasing anchovy.
Ingredients
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 kg (2 pounds) fresh tuna, in large chunks with skin and bones, removed
5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 pimientos, cut in strips
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 dl (7 ounces)white wine
1/2 (2 cups, 16 ounces)fish broth water
750g (1 1/2 pounds) potatoes, in large chunks
Preparation
Heat oil in large earthenware casserole and saute onion and garlic over low heat until onion is tender.
Add fresh tuna, tomatoes, pimientos, cayenne, parsley, and bay leaves. Season with salt. Turn carefully.
Pour over the wine and fish broth.
Add the amount of water needed to cover. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. After 40 minutes, add potato chunks. Season to taste.
Serve in a casserole with fresh crusty white bread.
Recipe for Spanish Oxtail Stew – “Rabo de Toro”
Ingredients
1 1/2 kg (3-3 1/2 pounds) oxtail, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
oil for frying
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic loves, minced
3 carrots in thick slices
1 green pepper, chopped
4 bay leaves
Salt
1/5 liter of red wine
1/5 liter water
1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate powder
Preparation
Cover the bottom of the large casserole with oil and heat.
Brown the meat pieces for about 15 minutes.
Add onion, garlic, carrots, green pepper, bay leaves, salt, red wine, and water. Heat to boiling; then reduce heat. Skim off foam. Cover and simmer for 3 hours.
Remove meat to a warm platter. Discard bay leaves. Skim fat from broth. Purée broth in a blender until smooth. Pour into saucepan. Stir in chocolate powder and heat through. Pour over oxtail pieces and serve immediately.
If you wish to make the additional sauce, add more red wine or beef broth.
This dish goes best with a good quality red wine.
Recipe for red pepper salad – “Ensalada de Pimientos”
Ingredients
2 medium red peppers, sliced in rings
1 small onion, sliced in rings
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 garlic Clove, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 head lettuce, cut in pieces
8 canned anchovies
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
Preparation
Place pepper and onion rings in a salad bowl. In a small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
Pour over onions and peppers and let sit for a couple of hours. Stir once in a while.
Arrange lettuce pieces on the bottom of a large serving plate. Pour pepper-onion mixture over.
Garnish with anchovies and sprinkle with chopped egg.
Recipe for Mushrooms in Garlic Sauce Spanish Style “Champiñones al Ajillo”
Ingredients
5 tablespoons olive oil
5 Garlic cloves, peeled
450g (1 pound) fresh mushrooms, cleaned and cut into thick slices
1/2 dried chili pepper, seeds removed
1 dl (1/2 cup, 4 ounces) dry sherry
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Preparation
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add garlic. When garlic begins to brown, add mushrooms all at once.
Stir and cook until almost done.
Add red pepper and dry sherry.
Bring to boil for one minute.
Lightly salt.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. (The pepper is not meant to be eaten)
Ingredients
You will find this dish in most good tapas bars and restaurants around Andalucia and some other parts of Spain. Although a relatively easy dish to prepare it evokes great passions within these sunny shores and still remains one of the most popular tapas or starter dishes in Spain today.
It is well worth finding the right bread to eat with this dish. Most bread shops, Panaderias, will have some farmhouse bread, pan cateto. It is heavy enough to soak up the olive oil whilst retaining its unique texture. A nice farmhouse fresh crusty loaf is ideal
1/4 pint of Extra virgin olive oil.
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon of dried hot paprika or red chili powder.
1 roughly chopped red chili.
Sea salt
15 to 24 large, raw prawns, peeled.
It is very important to use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Preparation
Peel and wash prawns.
Place the prawns in a large earthenware casserole, add the roughly chopped cloves, diced chili, chili powder and sea salt.
Cover with the extra virgin olive oil and place on high heat, stir only a couple of times whilst cooking.
Remove casserole from flame and immediately cover with a plate.
Serve in same dish while still sizzling and uncover at table.
Serve with crusty white bread for dunking.
Easy to prepare recipe for Fish Soup – Spanish Style
Ingredients
1 lb of fish (rockfish, shrimp, cod, etc.)
1lb of mussels
4 tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 egg
1 cup of white wine
30 gr of toasted almonds
2 slices of french bread
parsley
3-4 strands of SAFFRON
salt white pepper olive oil
Preparation
In a deep casserole sauté slowly the shredded onion in some olive oil; when the onion starts changing colour, add 2 peeled chopped garlic cloves and a sprig of parsley both chopped, add the tomatoes, peeled and chunked; poach for five minutes in enough water to cover ingredients.
Incorporate the fish and add fresh water to cover it all.
Crush in a mortar ( or blender ) the SAFFRON, 2 cloves of garlic, the almonds, the slices of bread pre-fried in olive oil and a sprig of parsley. Incorporate the crushed mix into the broth, season and cover, leave it to boil slowly for 20 minutes.
Steam the mussels and extract the meat from the shell draining all their juice through a thin mesh strainer. Add this mussel juice into the broth a few minutes before serving and stir.
Strain the fish and break it apart into small chunks and strain the broth through a china cap.
Portion the fish, shrimp and mussels into four individual cooking bowls and fill each with their respective broth.
Easy to prepare recipe for Spanish coleslaw
Ingredients
1 lb. head cabbage, shredded
1 c. shredded carrot
1/4 c. shredded sweet red
peppers
1/4 c. diced celery
1/4 c. scallions
10 radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 c. prepared mustard
dash of tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3/4 c. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1/3 c. mayonnaise
Preparation
This is the easy way to prepare our recipe for Spanish Coleslaw
Shred all carrot and cabbage, either fine or coarsely depending on preference.
Dice the celery and scallions quite fine or in longish strips ( Julienne style ) .
Thinly slice the radishes.
Place all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
Now slowly mix all the ingredients together until all the sauces and mayonnaise are mixed well and all the shredded vegetables are coated evenly throughout.
This should serve 8 to 10 people.
Ingredients
250 grams of peeled fresh prawns
3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
1 small chopped dried chili
Sweet paprika
Preparation
Peel the garlic cloves and roughly chop.
You will need a small ceramic cooking dish, place the oil, garlic chili and a sprinkle of paprika in the dish and heat when the garlic is a light
golden colour put in the peeled prawns and seasoning, cover the dish with a lid and cook until the prawns are firm and cooked, remove from heat and serve hot.
Ingredients
4 medium-sized potatoes
Salt
Virgin Olive Oil
3 Eggs
Preparation
Wash and peel the potatoes then roughly cut into irregular smallish chunks.
Heat up the oil and cook the potatoes over medium heat, when the potatoes are almost cooked through and not to brown in colour remove them from the oil and place on a plate, draining off any excess oil.
Pour away into a dish most of the olive oil leaving a small amount in the pan, then place the potatoes back into the pan and pour over the slightly beaten seasoned eggs and continue cooking over moderate heat.
With a spatula lift up the omelet and turn it over when the bottom is golden brown.
Cook for another 10 minutes until both sides are a light golden brown colour then tip out on a dining pate and serve hot or cold.
Ingredients
1/2 Kilo of medium to large shrimp
I/2 Cup of virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
Juice of 1 Lemon
Preparation
Place the Olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until the ingredients are well blended together.
Heat a thick iron frying pan or skillet over high heat , when it starts to smoke it is hot enough
for cooking.
Dip the shrimp ( in batches of say 6 at a time ) into the oil mixture and make sure they are totally coated, then sear them on the skillet for about a minute then turn over, then cook another minute on each side until they are golden brown, then remove and leave to stand on a hot plate.
Repeat until all the shrimps are cooked.
Ingredients
1 kg of Mussels
2 Ripe Tomatoes
1 I red pepper
1/2 Small Onion
4 tablespoons of Virgin Olive Oil
I tablespoon of White wine vinegar.
Seasoning
Preparation
Wash very well the mussels under clean water making sure that all the debris and beard of the shells have been removed.
Place the mussels in a deep pan and pour over a cup of water, cover and bring to the boil and cook until all the shells have opened.
Remove the pan and leave to cool
Finely chop of the onion and green pepper put into a small bowl and add the oil, vinegar, and season, mix well.
Take the mussels and remove one side of the shell only and leaving the other half with the mussel in and arrange on a plate, pour over the vinaigrette sauce and serve cold.
Ingredients
1/2 Kilo of Medium-sized mushrooms
3 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
150 grams of Serrano Ham ( Cured Ham )
Parsley
2 tablespoons of Dry Sherry
1/2 Lemon
Seasoning
Preparation
Remove the stalks, wash and clean the mushrooms, making sure there is no grit left on the inside.
Dry in a cloth and cover in lemon juice to keep the freshness.
Finely chop the ham and parsley
Heat up a heavy pan or skillet and add the oil, place on the mushrooms, top side up first, cook for about 5 minutes then turn over.
Fill up the mushrooms with the chopped parsley and ham, pour over the sherry, cover with a big lid and leave to cook for another 5 minutes and until the mushrooms are a nice golden brown colour.
Sardines on a spit.. the Spanish way
A walk along many of the beach promenades in Andalucia you are greeted by the unmistakable smell of Sardines being cooked over open fires.
It may seem pretty straightforward to achieve the best results when cooking, however, there are few things you should know to get ensure the Sardines are cooked to perfection.
The spits are made out of a piece of bamboo, cut in half and shaped rather like a knife with a longer thinner pointed end, it is best to immerse the bamboo spits in cold water before use.
The Sardines should be laid out in trays a few hours before cooking with an ample amount of good quality sea salt sprinkled over them, this is not only for taste but will harden the sardines slightly which makes them easier to feed on the spits.
It is very important that the spit is placed in such a way that the sardines do not fall off, the way to do this is to thread the spit in below the spine and through the fish and then slide it through the stomach and out the same side as the spit went in.
You can place about five sardines on each spit.
Leave plenty of time from lighting the fire to cooking to allow the flames to die down, the carbon or wood is ready when it the fire takes on more of white colour and there are no flames.
Cooking time will depend on the inclination and distance of the spits to the fire, sardines usually take around 3-5 minutes on both sides and 7-10 minutes for larger pieces.
Once cooked, sit back and enjoy with a nice glass of sangria, white wine, or an ice cool beer.
Other Top Spanish Recipes
Here is a selection of recipes from some of our favourite food bloggers.
- Hot Bravas sauce - By Spanish Sabores
- Gazpacho Soup - By Olive Magazine
- Cod with Tomatoe Sauce - By Spain On A Fork
- Cocido Madrileno - By Devour Madrid
- Chicken & Olive Rice - By Food Network
- Meat Balls in Almond Sauce - By Spanish Sabores
- Squid with Onions in Nut sauce - By Spanish Recipes by Nuria
- Noodles with Mussels and Crayfish - By Spanish Recipes by Nuria
- Pickled Pepper and Sherry Croquetas - By Delicious Magazine
- Paella Style Dirty Rice - By Delicious Magazine
- Chicken Tapas with Romesco Sauce - By Basco Gourmet
- Smokey Spanish Chicken - By Gousto
- Ajo Blanco - Chilled Almond Soup - Delia Online
- Noodle Salada - My Kitchen is so Cool
- Garlic Prawns - Annie B's