Best Spanish Recipes

Lamb is one of Spain’s favourite meats, especially during Christmas. The larger parts such as legs are prepared in the oven and carved at the table for a great family meal experience. A good roast takes time but this recipe is extremely easy to follow and will provide a succulent result every time.

Most Spanish regions sport their own variation of this simple, quick recipe. It is easy, cheap and delicious so it features on every Spanish mum’s trick bag when feeding the family. This is as close as it gets to Spanish fast food. Only healthier, and much better tasting!

This dish is an original recipe. It is a dish for spring, mixing winter and summer ingredients into a bright, flavoursome combination. Its colour, scent, textures and taste are all designed to wake up the senses after the winter lull. Try it at sunset after a day of sun and some showers.

Cava originates from Catalonia, and so does this dish, delicious as a main, a side to game or fish or as part of contemporary creations. Initially prepared as a way to use a day-old half bottle of flat left-over cava, it has been adopted by contemporary Catalan cuisine as an indigenous new dish that combines european influences with local produce and years of rich winemaking history. Today Arroz al Cava can be found in the best restaurants, where it is made using only the best Spanish paella rice and the most sought-after Cava vintages.

A typical dish of Valencia, Spain originated in the 1960s when noodles were used instead of rice in the popular dish paella. Relatively obscure until very recently, Fideuà has quickly become a favourite at Spain’s top restaurants. Its versatility, flexibility and the ability to use the freshest seasonal produce in its preparation make it the perfect blend of tradition and modernity for the aspiring star chef to make his/her mark.

Contemporary salad recipe inspired by a trend towards healthier options and new forms of using traditional ingredients. The base pepper-based medley known as a vinagreta which typically appears as accompaniment to fish fillets or mussels becomes the main attraction, almost relegating the delicate octopus to a supporting role.

Delicious and very easy to prepare, pulpo a la gallega is often consumed as tapas on a bed of hot potatoes. It can also be consumed as a light main at lunchtime. On hot summer days the hot potatoes are left out and the cool octopus is spooned with warm olive oil to create a refreshing, lukewarm delicacy.

It is believed that potato omelette was first prepared on the XVII or XVIII century, quickly succeeding in becoming embedded into Spanish cooking across the country. It’s success comes from its versatility: it is a dish that can be eaten hot or cold, a dish that can keep for a day or two even in Spain’s hot summer weather and a dish that is easy and cheap to prepare. Today, tortilla is available at every tapas bar in Spain, and it is at the centre of every Spaniard’s picnic basket and every Spanish family Sunday dinner.

The Paella Valenciana (literally, Paella from Valencia) is the original paella recipe from Valencia, where Paella originates. There are plenty of other recipes, from Valencia, Alicante, Cataluña and the rest of Spain. Other recipes are based on other meats, fish and even vegetarian. We’ll be publishing many of them on Best Spanish Recipes. They are all excellent, but Paella Valenciana is the original, and many say the best.