Spanish recipes
Easy Spanish Recipes to Cook at Home
Spanish home cooking gets a lot out of a few ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, saffron and ripe tomatoes. Our Spanish recipes cover three dishes you will find all over the country, from a pan of saffron rice to a thick potato tortilla and a sizzling tapa of garlic shrimp.
Each one is written for a regular supermarket kitchen, with metric and imperial measurements and doneness checks. Where a specialist ingredient is hard to find, we give a substitute and say what changes: Arborio rice instead of bomba, turmeric for colour instead of saffron, and a wide skillet if you don't own a paella pan.
3 recipes · Updated
Quick answer
Savour has three Spanish recipes. The quickest is gambas al ajillo, shrimp sizzled in garlic and chili oil, ready in 18 minutes. Spanish tortilla, a thick potato and onion omelette, takes 65 minutes including resting. Chicken and chorizo paella with saffron rice also takes 65 minutes, including a 5-minute rest, and serves 4.
- Recipes
- 3
- Average total time
- 49 mins
- Quickest
- Gambas al Ajillo (18 mins)
- Rated Easy
- 1 of 3
- Average calories
- 470 per serving
- Newest
- Chicken and Chorizo Paella
All Spanish Recipes (3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What pantry staples do I need for Spanish cooking?
Keep a good extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, onions, smoked paprika (pimentón), saffron and canned or fresh tomatoes on hand. For these recipes you also need short-grain paella rice, dry-cured Spanish chorizo and, if you like, a bottle of dry sherry for the gambas al ajillo.
Can I make paella without saffron or bomba rice?
Yes. Arborio rice is the easiest swap for bomba; use about 850 ml stock for 300 g rice and expect a slightly creamier result. If you can't get saffron, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric gives the same golden colour, although not the same flavour.
Which Spanish recipe should I start with?
Start with gambas al ajillo: it has four steps and is ready in 18 minutes. Spanish tortilla comes next and teaches you to cook potatoes gently in oil and flip the tortilla with a plate. Save the paella for when you have an hour, since the rice needs to simmer undisturbed.
What is the difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo?
Spanish chorizo is a dry-cured sausage flavoured with smoked paprika that you slice like salami. Mexican chorizo is fresh, raw and crumbly and must be cooked through. Use Spanish chorizo in paella; the Mexican kind breaks apart and makes the rice greasy.