Gambas al Pil Pil Garlic prawns served in tapas bars and restaurants all over Spain are usually called Gambas al Ajillo. Visitors to Madrid should make a point of ordering this classic dish in Casa del Abuelo (Calle Victoria, 12). This famous tapas bar remains largely unchanged since it began …
Espaguetis con Gambas al Ajillo y Champiñones Whilst garlic prawns and garlic mushrooms would typically be served as tapas-style dishes, it’s so easy to combine them, add some white wine and serve them with spaghetti. This is a very simple dish in which the pasta absorbs the flavour of the …
Zarzuela de Pescado y Mariscos Located on the north-east coast of Spain, Catalonia is recognised for the diversity of its cuisine. Thanks to the region’s privileged location between the mountains and the sea it has ready access to livestock and vegetables from the interior and fresh seafood from the Mediterranean. …
Rape con Salsa de Setas This recipe uses ‘setas’ which are quite like a wild mushroom and readily available in Spain. However, you can use any type of mushroom. Monkfish has to be one of the ugliest fish you will ever see but its flavour more than makes up for …
Chipirones con Patatas Whilst ‘calamar’ is the most common word for squid on a Spanish menu, you’ll sometimes see ‘chipirones’ which refers to baby squid or small cuttlefish. In Andalucía, this baby squid is usually battered and quickly deep-fried to make a delicious seafood tapa. In many homes around Spain …
Mejillones Con Pipirrana Pipirrana is a type of salad which originates from Jaén in the Spanish region of Andalucía. It usually includes onion, tomato, green pepper and cucumber but each province in the region seems to have a different version of it. In its simplest form the salad is dressed …
Espaguetis Con Mariscos When perusing a Spanish menu it’s common to see rice dishes such as Paella Valenciana and Paella de Marisco but you don’t tend to see much in the way of pasta dishes. Restaurants in the Valencia region serve Fideuà which is a type of paella cooked with …
Bacalao Con Patatas This is a hearty stew which is great to serve on a cold winter’s day. Our first experience of this dish was when we lived in the mountains outside Madrid in a village called Miraflores de la Sierra. The local saint there is San Blas and every …
Almejas con Alubias Blancas Most of Spain’s shellfish comes from the coast of Galicia where saltwater from the Vigo Estuary enters the freshwater of the Rías Baixas. As well as producing half of Europe’s mussels, these sunken river valleys are major producers of the clams which appear in many Spanish …