Tigers, a tapa that doesn't bite

This is a typical spanish tapas product that combines the cooking of shellfish with the own elaboration of any type of croquette. There are many versions of them, both spicy and sweet, but in all of them it is always about making a bechamel using the meat of the mollusk and then battering and frying the shell as if it were a croquette.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Kg (2.2 lbs) of mussels with their shell
• 1 sweet purple onion
• 1 or 2 eggs
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1 clove garlic
• Bread crumbs
• Wheat flour
• Butter
• Half a liter (2 and a half cups) of whole milk
• Salt
• ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Thoroughly wash the mussels and steam them, placing them in a metal pan with a cup of white wine. Remove the meat from the shells that open and reserve them. The rest of the mussels that have not been opened are discarded as it means that they were dead when they were picked.

Once the segments are cold, chop them. Reserve them.

Now we are going to make the bechamel.

In a saucepan over low heat, pour oil and fry the finely chopped onion with a clove of garlic. When the onion is transparent, put it on a very slow fire. Remove the garlic and add a good spoonful of butter and melt another two heaped with wheat flour.

We work with a spoon or some rods so that the flour is fried. With this it will lose its characteristic flavor turning a brown color. When this happens we begin to incorporate the milk little by little, stirring continuously.

When the dough begins to thicken, we will continue adding more milk without stopping to work it with the spoon or the rods.

We will season and check that the flavor moves away from the raw flour and takes on that of the butter with milk.

Then add the chopped pieces of mussels mixing carefully. When the dough is quite thick, remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Separate balls of dough and work it over half of the shell to fill it. Flour and pass through a beaten egg.

Then cover with breadcrumbs and fry in plenty of oil until golden brown on all sides.

An incredible tapa that is enjoyed very well accompanied by a cold beer or wine.

Spanish rabas

The "rabas" are nothing more than squid cut into long strips instead of the classic rings. Like the latter, they are battered and fried in abundant oil to be consumed instantly, very crispy but with a tender heart that almost melts in the mouth.

Although it seems like something simple to do, the truth is that from time to time they serve you some squid rings that are too oily or with the squid too hard. I am going to explain to you how to make the squid rings so that they look like they came from the best tavern in the north of Spain.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Kg (2.2 lbs) of squid (frozen or fresh)
• Sunflower or corn oil

For the soak

• Beer (the necessary)
• Milk (as needed)

For the batter

• Half a cup of beer (100 ml)
• Bread wheat flour (4 level tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• Salt

You can use fresh or frozen squid. If it is frozen it will be softer to begin with - the ice breaks down the collagen - but it is still advisable to soak anyway it first for half an hour in beer and then another half hour in milk.

We clean the squid and cut them into longitudinal strips. That said, immersion for half an hour in beer and another half hour in milk. The best thing is that you let this marinade be done in the fridge. The colder the squid is in contrast to the oil, the crispier it will be.

We prepare the batter. To do this, mix the beer with the sifted flour and half a teaspoon of salt, in addition to the oil. It should be a very homogeneous sauce without lumps. We let it rest for half an hour.

Add the sunflower oil - olive oil cannot be used because it has too much flavor - in a frying pan so that it takes quite a bit of depth. The strips of squid ("rabas") must not touch each other and must "float" in the oil. We heat it over medium heat. It is important that the oil is clean and new. If you have fried something in the oil before, the flavor can stick and it no longer tastes the same.

We take the squid rings out of the refrigerator and bathe them in the batter, draining the excess. This is very important, you should not make a thick layer on the surface, just a kind of thin coating layer.

When the oil feels hot by placing the palm of your hand on the surface at a distance of a couple of centimeters, it is time to fry the rabas.

Let them fry until they turn golden brown. Remove and drain on a rack or absorbent paper. The less oil left in the raba, the longer it will keep crisp.

Serve with a few slices of lemon and enjoy. The best Spanish tapa that exists, without a doubt.

Papas aliñás (Dressed potatoes)

This is a very popular tapa in Cádiz and Seville that is usually served on summer terraces (in Andalucia and Canary islands 'papas' means potatoes, while in the rest of Spain it is used the term 'patatas'). They are easy to make and very tasty, sometimes garnished with tuna but always served cold. Of course, they can be a good starter apart from an exquisite tapa.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 600 grams (1.3 lbs) of potatoes (1 large potato per person)
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) chives
• Half a cup (100 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar or sherry
• Fresh parsley
• Coarse salt

We wash the potatoes and cook them with the skin. It is necessary that all the potatoes are almost the same size so that they are cooked at the same time.

We prick with the tip of a knife to verify that they are tender but not soft and less undone. This can take half an hour, more or less, depending on the hardness of them.

Once tender, remove from the water and let it warm to remove the skin and make slices 1 cm high. Place the potatoes in a bowl and sprinkle the finely chopped chives, the parsley (a bunch, only the leaves, the stems are indigestible) and the coarse salt (a teaspoon, more or less). Season with the oil and vinegar and stir. Let it rest for a while until it cools down and the potatoes are soaked in the rest of the ingredients.

Sometimes it is served with canned tuna, usually a good chunk on each diner's plate. 

Serranito

A true classic of Sevillian tapas, which is equally good for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner or enduring a long night of drinks. Although nowadays each bar makes its version, most stick to a recipe that the customer knows by heart and where they will not forgive any forgotten ingredient.

INGREDIENTS (1 sandwich):

• 1 sandwich of very tender and crunchy bread (such as French baguette or Viennese bread)
• 4 slices of fine pork tenderloin
• 1 green pepper for frying
• 1 ripe red tomato
• 2 slices of Spanish serrano ham
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

We peel the tomato and cut it into slices. It is supposed to be enough to cover the entire length of the loaf, but if not, we use more than one tomato.

We fry the green pepper cut into strips in a little olive oil. When it is well fried, we take it out and drain it to eliminate the excess oil. We reserve, keeping it warm.

In the same pan, fry the thin slices of loin, seasoning them with salt and pepper. When they are well done on both sides, remove, drain the oil and reserve, keeping it warm.

It is the moment to assembly the serranito.

We place the tomato slices.

On top of them the loin, then the fried pepper and finally the slices of Serrano ham.

A luxury, as Sevillians would say.

Shrimps with garlic

 

One of the most popular spanish tapas

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 4/6 large shrimps or prawns per person
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• The juice of half a lemon
• Chopped parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil

First we remove the germ from the garlic so that it does not repeat and then we cut the cloves into thin slices.

Season the prawns generously.

In a frying pan, pour a generous stream of olive oil, place over medium heat and add the garlic slices. Immediately add the prawns and fry them on each side for a maximum of one minute. Just before removing them from the heat, add the juice of half a lemon.

Take off the heat and sprinkle the finely chopped fresh parsley on top, serving them very hot with some lemon slices. Never has something so simple been so good.

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