Let’s be honest, if you’re having a tapas-themed dinner party, it requires a whole lot of preparation and work, so why not keep things simple? There are a whole host of easy tapas recipes that, in the small time needed to prepare them, never let you, or your guests, down!
With so many bars and restaurants in Seville, there is always a new place to try or a delicious tapa to return to. And while we spend a huge amount of time in the streets eating our way through the city, we also love cooking our favorite tapas for ourselves. We’ve chosen three super simple, and super delicious, tapas that you can prepare at home and wow your friends and family!
Photo Credit: Jorge Díaz; Text Overlay: Devour Spain Food Tours
1. Fried Almonds
So simple, but oh so delicious! Almonds are a specialty of the south of Spain, and a legacy of the Moorish occupation of the region. Found in bars and restaurants all over Seville, this easy tapas recipe is the perfect way to add a dash of Spain to a gathering, be it day or night!
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Ingredients
250g almonds
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Sea Salt
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan to a medium heat, hot but not smoking.
2. Add almonds to the oil, stirring frequently until brown
3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the almonds to some paper towels
4. Season generously with sea salt and you’re ready to go
2. Matrimonio
Matrimonio is the Spanish name for marriage, and while the ingredients for this southern gem may not seem like the perfect match, we’ve been making it for years with spectacular results! The tradition of curing and preserving foods in Spain goes back centuries. Combining a salted anchovy (anchoa) with one cured in vinegar (boqueron), byproducts from the Spanish food curing tradition, with fresh produce from the market is a match made in foodie heaven.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Ingredients
Salted anchovies (anchoas) – 1 per person
Anchovies in vinegar (boquerones) – 1 per person
Large fresh baguette
Fresh salad tomatoes from the market
Instructions
1. Cut the top and bottom off the tomatoes
2. Grate the tomatoes using a grater and discard of any skin
3. Cut up the bread into thick, individually-sized slices
4. Toast the bread until golden brown
5. Remove bread form toaster and spread tomato onto the bread
6. Place one salted anchovy and one anchovy in vinegar on top of each slice of the tomato
7. Feel free to sprinkle some Spanish olive oil on top – it’s the best olive oil in the world!
3. Salmorejo
Salmorejo is one of the most iconic dishes to ever come from the south of Spain, and a crowd favorite on our Tastes, Tapas & Traditions of Seville Food Tour. Originating in Cordoba, this cold tomato soup is the southern sister of the perhaps better-known gazpacho. While it takes a little bit more prep than our previous two easy tapas recipes, cracking out some delicious salmorejo at a dinner party is bound to impress. Check out our recipe as supplied by Devour Spain’s very own Lauren of Spanish Sabores!
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Ingredients
8 medium tomatoes – make sure they’re good quality, good tomatoes are key to a good salmorejo!
1 medium baguette
1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic
A splash of Sherry Vinegar
A pinch of salt
2 hard boiled eggs
Sliced serrano ham
Instructions
1. First, scald the tomatoes. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. When the water is boiling add the tomatoes for 30-60 seconds. Remove immediately and place in a bowl filled with ice and cold water. The skin will peel right off of the tomatoes.
2. Cut out the cores of the tomatoes and add all the rest to your blender. Blend at high-speed for about 30 seconds until the tomatoes are broken down.
3. Take all of the “guts” out of your baguette and add them to the blended tomatoes. The baguette should have given about 2-3 cups of guts and you can experiment with how much you add, as this is how you change the texture. Let the bread soak in the tomato juice for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the splash of vinegar, salt, and garlic and blend again until the soup is an even texture and the bread is completely broken down.
5. If your blender has it, open the small hole in the top. Slowly add the olive oil as you are blending at a moderate speed. If it doesn’t have the hole, stop and go adding little by little.
6. Add 1 hardboiled egg and blend until incorporated. Taste and adjust levels of salt, vinegar, garlic, and bread.
7. Serve in small bowls with diced hardboiled egg and sliced ham as condiments. Serve cold!
And there you have it, three easy tapas recipes to impress your friends – do you have any more delicious go-to tapas recipes for when you’re entertaining?
