Are you expecting guests and don’t have time to prepare tortilla de patatas, patatas bravas and ten kinds of canapés to pick with your wine or beer? Don’t worry, today we are going to introduce you some delicious Spanish finger food that you don’t have to prepare in advance. Just go to your nearest supermarket or market, empty the tins and bags and voilà.
Mejillones (mussels)
‘Mejillones’ are the iconic Spanish food that you might know from the sea food paella. You can buy these orange mussels fresh but also in a tin. Most probably the sign on the tin will tell you ‘mejillones en escabeche’. ‘Escabeche’ is a mix of oil, vinegar, white wine and some spices, usually pepper, garlic and laurel. The mussels from tin are ready to eat, you don’t have to cook them or heat them.
Berberechos (cockles)
‘Berberechos’ are another sea food that some consider even tastier than ‘mejillones’. You can eat them as a part of rice dish, in a soup, salad or just as they are. Don’t forget to splash them with lemon juice before eating.
Aceitunas (olives)
Olives. Black, brown or green? Pitted or unpitted? In oil or vinegar? Stuffed with pepper or anchovy? If you are from northern countries, you’ve probably never asked yourself such questions, although with the selection of olives in Spain, you should start defining your preferences.
If you are a fan of olives and can’t imagine a glass of wine without some ‘aceitunas’ to accompany it, you should definitely try an olive cocktail (cóctel de aceitunas). The typical cocktail consists of pickled olives, cucumbers, baby onions and red peppers.
An alternative to olive cocktail are ‘banderillas picantes’ which is basically the same selection of pickled veggies as in olive cocktail but on a stick. Buy a jar of olive cocktail, plastic sticks and prepare them by yourself.
At Central Market or any other market in Valencia you can find tens of olive variations. However, one variation stands out – the aromatic combination of olives with garlic and rosemary. Just delish! When you visit the Central Market next time, ask for aceitunas con ajo y romero. Sometimes the olives are called ‘manzanilla’, which is the most common kind of olive in Valencia. Don’t get confused because ‘manzanilla’ means ‘camomile’ too.
Altramuces (lupins)
Lupins are round yellow legumes. They are super cheap and taste great with beer. You can eat them whole but the skin is little bit tough, so it’s better to eat the inside and spit the skin out.
Frutos secos (dried fruit)
The most popular dried fruit mix that you can find in literally every bar and shop is ‘cóctel de frutos secos’ that has peanuts, raisins, fried corn and sometimes other kinds of nuts. Try also ‘almendras fritas’ (fried almonds), most probably you won’t find them in supermarkets but at local markets they have them fresh and homemade.
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