Top 12 tapas dishes in Spain

Croquetas are one of the most moreish tapas you will get, filled rolls coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried to crispy perfection. Unlike the French version, Spanish croquetas have a creamy, milky sauce inside them, and the other fillings range from Serrano ham to salt cod, crab, squid or cheese. The best croquetas are always those that are handmade – enjoy a plate of them on one of our Andalucia walking vacations and you’ll be convinced.

Ensalada rusa, or Russian salad, is a popular vegetarian tapa, though you will sometimes get tuna, prawns or octopus added. The typical recipe is potato, boiled in their skins, mixed with mayonnaise, carrots, hard boiled eggs and raw onion. Every region tends to put its own spin on the dish, but the basic ingredients are fairly standard.

A lovely winter warmer in mountainous regions such as La Alpujarra, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, espinacas con garbanzos is a spinach and chickpea stew. It is served piping hot in small terracotta dishes, just begging to have a piece of bread dunked into it.

A classic tapa, gambas al ajillo originate from the coast of southern Spain, likely the Malaga area. They are prawns, ideally big fleshy ones, sizzled in a sublimely spicy, garlicky sauce and served in a terracotta dish. Gambas pil pil are the same thing but this is the more touristy name for them.

Wherever you go in Spain, patatas bravas – fried chunks of potato slathered in spicy sauce, are a tapas staple, tasty and filling.

Padron is a town in Galicia, northwest Spain, from where this traditional tapa originates. These small green peppers are fried in olive oil then served dusted with salt. Usually, they are quite mild but it’s a lottery as every now and then you’ll get one with a bit of heat.

“Pisto is a dish that surprises people,” says Lucy. “The closest equivalent is French ratatouille, the difference being the way it is prepared. Each vegetable (aubergine, courgette, green and red peppers, onion, carrot) is shallow fried independently, while a thick tomato sauce is made on the side. The vegetables are then folded into the sauce and it can be served with a pan-fried egg and a slice of ham.”

Other popular tapas include the ubiquitous tortilla, an omelette made with sauteed potatoes; anchovies fried, or marinated in vinegar, olive oil, garlic and parsley; pulpo alla gallego – Galician octopus served with potatoes and flavoured with sea salt and paprika; chilled tomato soups such as gazpacho or porra antequerana, and sliced chorizo, which in Asturias is often served in a bowl of cider.

In traditional establishments where tapas are served alongside drinks, the etiquette is that you don’t get to choose what you receive, but you’ll get something different with every round of drinks. But tapas culture differs from region to region, and more modern places might offer a tapas menu.

“One of the things I found confusing when I came to our area for the first time was the tapas,” says Ilaria, who lives in Altiplano de Granada. "Here you get a free tapa when you order a drink between certain hours (more or less 12.30pm to 3pm, and 6.30pm to 9pm) but you have no say in what they bring you. Some of the local bars serve migas as a tapa, and this is probably our favorite one. As tapas are free in our area, you can't go to order it. That would be ‘raciones’, which means a bigger portion and a cost.” The free tapas are quite small, so they are not super-effective at soaking up the alcohol!

In Western Andalucia, by contrast, in provinces such as Seville, Malaga, Huelva or Cadiz, you order your drinks and your food separately, and the portions can be quite large.

Pintxos are similar to tapas, but different. Typical of regions in northern Spain, the food, such as croquetas, anchovies or cheese, is pinned to a slice of bread with a pincho (toothpick). In San Sebastian, the pintxos famously get quite elaborate, and you can get an excellent meal by doing a little bar-crawling.

There are many tapas dishes that will suit vegetarian or vegan travelers, including patatas bravas, pimientos del Padron, mushrooms, migas, olives and pickles, pickled lupin seeds, cold soups, bean stews and tortos (Asturian corn fritters). “Goat’s cheese served with local honey and wild mountain oregano is pretty awesome too,” recommends Tinca.

There is enormous diversity in tapas, with every region having their own spin on a popular dish, or their own speciality. On our vacations in Spain, we’ll be happy to give you a few pointers on what to try if you’re eating out.