Name: Tapas Night Made Easy: 5 Spanish Small Plates
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: ¼ cup olive oil, 65 ml; 4 cloves garlic cloves - 3 smashed, 1 minced; 250 g raw prawns, peeled, 8 oz; 1 pinch red pepper flakes; finely chopped parsley; lemon, optional; ¼ cup olive oil, 65 ml; 4 cloves garlic cloves - 3 smashed, 1 minced; 300 g Swiss brown or other small mushrooms, 10 oz; finely chopped parsley; 2 chorizos, sliced, about 250g/8oz each; ½ tsp olive oil; 250 g plump black and green olives, 8 oz; 1 clove garlic, minced; ½ tsp red pepper flakes; 2 tsp lemon or orange zest; ⅓ cup olive oil, 85 ml; 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1 tsp fresh thyme; Jamon cured ham; Manchego Spanish Cheese; White Anchovies; Bread, with olive oil and lemon wedges; La Mesa Y Los Amigos Tempranillo Spanish Wine, great with tapas!

Tapas Night Made Easy: 5 Spanish Small Plates

Bring the flavors of Spain to your table with these five simple tapas, perfect for sharing with friends over a glass of wine.

Prep30 min

Cook30 min

Total1h

DifficultyEasy

Servings6

Hosting a tapas night at home is all about relaxed, flavorful small plates that you can prepare ahead of time, so you can actually enjoy your guests instead of being stuck in the kitchen. These recipes are simple, use everyday ingredients, and are traditionally served with a generous drizzle of olive oil—perfect for soaking up with crusty bread. Feel free to adjust the oil to your taste.

For the best results, marinate the olives for a full 24 hours so the flavors really develop. Then, set everything out on the table with plenty of bread and your favorite Spanish wine, and let everyone help themselves. ¡Salud!

Method

Garlic Prawns: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and sauté for 10 minutes, pressing them down to release their juices, until golden brown. Remove and discard the garlic.
Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high. When the oil is hot, add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes (for medium prawns) or until charred and just cooked through. Just before they're done, add the minced garlic and quickly sauté, then transfer the prawns to a serving bowl.
Sprinkle the prawns with parsley and red pepper flakes (if using).
Garlic Mushrooms: Halve or quarter the mushrooms depending on size.
Follow the same steps as for the garlic prawns, but cook the mushrooms instead of the prawns. Cook until golden.
Chorizo: Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook the chorizo slices until golden on both sides, then transfer to a serving bowl, scraping in the oil from the skillet.
Marinated Olives: Combine all ingredients in an airtight jar. Refrigerate for 24 hours (no longer than 48 hours). Bring to room temperature before serving.
Spanish Antipasto: Bring the cheese to room temperature. Arrange on a platter with the ham and anchovies.
To Serve: Place the serving bowls and platters on the table with plenty of bread for dunking into the leftover olive oil. Serve with your favorite Spanish wine!

💡 Tips

Marinate the olives for a full 24 hours for the best flavor, but don't exceed 48 hours.
You can prepare the garlic prawns and mushrooms ahead of time and reheat gently before serving.
Serve everything at room temperature except the prawns and chorizo, which are best warm.

Inspired by a recipe from RecipeTin Eats

Tapas Night Made Easy: 5 Spanish Small Plates

Ingredients

Garlic Prawns

Garlic Mushrooms

Chorizo

Marinated Olives

Spanish Antipasto

To Serve

Method

💡 Tips

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