The Spaniards prepare their food quite simply. In some ways it is reminiscent of Provence or Italy; they also value garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and herbs. However, oriental and Arabic motifs are felt much more strongly here.
The north of Spain is famous for its fish dishes. Which is not surprising, since the Atlantic has always produced huge catches of cod and other types of fish. These lands are also home to majestic apple orchards, famous for their cider.
The Mediterranean coast belongs mostly to Catalonia, whose cuisine is based on cereals, grapes and olives. In addition, rice, fruits, vegetables and meat play a significant role.
The central regions of Spain have a fairly hot climate and the terrain is quite mountainous. These places can hardly be called an agricultural paradise. Only drought-resistant crops like beans and lentils survive here. This is why lentil and bean salads are popular, including in Madrid.
Andalusia, located in the south of Spain, is famous for its sweet dishes. From time immemorial, cold gazpacho soup has been made here.
Among all Spanish dishes, salads occupy a special place. As a rule, they are bright, juicy, rich. They are prepared from fresh vegetables, herbs, meat or fish. Everything must be seasoned with olive oil or a special sauce. Today we will tell you how to properly prepare Spanish salads.
Avocado salad
Ingredients needed to make avocado salad:
- avocado – 1 pc.
- salad tomatoes – 1 pc.
- canned tuna in oil – 1 can
- arugula – 1 bunch
- olive oil – 1 tsp.
- sea salt - a pinch
- lemon juice – 1 tsp.
- garlic – 1 clove
The avocado needs to be washed and cut in half, then remove the pit and mash the pulp with a fork until it becomes puree. Salt and pepper the finished avocado puree, sprinkle with lemon juice, pour over 1 tsp. olive oil and crush a clove of garlic there. Mix everything.
You need to remove the peel from the tomato. To do this, you need to make an incision and put it in boiling water, after a few seconds you take it out and clean it easily. After this, remove the seeds and excess juice, and cut the pulp into small cubes.
Open the can of tuna, drain the juice and mash the fish with a fork. Place a layer of avocado on a plate, then tomatoes and tuna. Garnish the finished dish with arugula.
Radish salad
Ingredients needed to prepare radish salad:
- salad tomatoes – 300 g
- radish – 1 pc.
- fresh cucumbers – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
- fresh parsley – 50 g
- dill - 50 g
- table vinegar - 1 tbsp.
- sunflower oil – 3 tbsp.
- salt, ground black pepper - a pinch
Tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes must first be thoroughly washed and cut into thin, small pieces.
Peel the onion and chop into cubes. Wash the dill and parsley, dry and finely chop. Mix everything in one bowl, add salt, pepper, sprinkle with vinegar and pour over sunflower oil.
Salad with tuna
Ingredients needed to make tuna salad:
- lettuce salad – 4 bunches
- canned tuna in olive oil – 2 cans
- tomatoes - 4 pcs.
- pitted black olives – 25 pcs.
- romesco sauce – 1 cup
First you need to place the lettuce leaves on the dish. After this, open the tuna, mash the fish with a fork and place on lettuce leaves. Wash the tomatoes, cut into small pieces and place on the fish. Next you need to cut the olives into two parts and place them on the top layer. Pour romesco sauce over it and you can eat the finished salad. 
Ham salad
Ingredients needed to make ham salad:
- ham – 350 g
- bell pepper – 2 pcs.
- onion – 1 pc.
- pickled corn – 1 jar
- pickled green peas – 100 g
- Iceberg salad – 50 g
- table vinegar – 1 tbsp.
- salt - a pinch
- sunflower oil – 70 g
- parsley
Bell peppers are best taken in canned form. Drain it in a colander and then cut it into cubes. Open the jar of pickled peas and corn, drain the marinade, and place the contents, in the required amount, into a salad bowl.
Peel a small onion and cut into four parts. Cut the ham into small cubes and place in a bowl with the peas and corn. Wash the parsley, dry it and chop it finely.
Mix all the ingredients of the salad, add salt, pepper and pour over the dressing. For dressing you need to combine sunflower oil with vinegar. You need to decorate the finished salad with parsley sprigs and lettuce leaves.
Salad with bacon
Ingredients needed to make bacon salad:
- tomatoes – 12 pcs.
- bacon – 300 g
- goat cheese – 200 g
- olive oil – 5 tbsp.
- garlic – 1 clove
- pine nuts – 50 g
- lettuce leaves – 250 g
- Dijon mustard – 2 tbsp.
- balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp.
- salt - a pinch
- ground black pepper – 0.5 tsp.
Tomatoes must be baked in the oven or on the grill, but always with garlic. Then cut each into small slices.
The bacon needs to be cut into small cubes and fried in a dry frying pan. Pine nuts should also be fried in a frying pan, but separately. Crumble the goat cheese with your hands or finely chop it.
To prepare the dressing for this salad, whisk olive oil, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper until smooth.
All prepared salad ingredients must be mixed and poured with the prepared dressing. The salad can be consumed immediately after preparation.
Cabbage salad
Ingredients needed to make cabbage salad:
- chicken meat – 200 g
- Chinese cabbage – 100 g
- tomatoes – 2 pcs.
- mayonnaise – 200 g
- soy sauce – 3 tbsp.
- curry - a pinch
- white bread – 200 g
- olive oil – 30 g
The chicken fillet must be cut into small pieces and then marinated. For the marinade you need to mix mayonnaise, soy sauce and curry. Place the marinated meat in a frying pan and fry until golden brown.
Wash the tomatoes and cut into small slices. Finely chop the Beijing cabbage. From the remaining ingredients, make another sauce (mayonnaise, curry and soy sauce). The bread should be cut into cubes and dried in the oven.
Combine all the salad ingredients in layers, sprinkle with croutons and pour over the dressing. The finished salad must be placed on the table immediately, before the croutons soften. If you serve later, it is better to add the croutons immediately before serving. 
Salad with champignons
Ingredients needed to prepare champignon salad:
- green olives stuffed with lemon – 1 jar
- green salad leaves – 150 g
- fresh champignons – 8 pcs.
- feta cheese – 100 g
- olive oil – 2 tbsp.
Mushrooms should be cut into slices and placed in a bowl. Open the jar of olives and pour the marinade into the mushrooms. Leave it in this state for some time.
Olives should be cut into slices. Mash the feta cheese with a fork or finely chop it. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves thoroughly, and then tear them into small pieces with your hands.
Strain the mushrooms and mix with the rest of the salad ingredients. Season the finished salad with olive oil and mix evenly. Can be consumed immediately after preparation.
Banana salad
Ingredients needed to make banana salad:
- lettuce leaves – 100 g
- avocado – 2 pcs.
- bananas – 3 pcs.
- olive oil – 3 tbsp.
- pickled corn – 4 tbsp.
- apple cider vinegar - a little
- sea salt - a pinch
Lettuce leaves need to be washed and dried, and then cut into thin strips and placed on the bottom of the plate.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. To make the pit easily detach from the pulp, you can hit it with a knife. Cut the pulp into cubes. Peel the bananas and cut into cubes. Place bananas and avocados on lettuce leaves. Top with apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Open the jar of corn, strain and place the required amount of product on top of the salad. This salad is best served freshly prepared.
In hot weather, we prefer light and refreshing dishes, so with the arrival of summer we eat more vegetables and greens. In this article we will look at the most popular Spanish recipes for refreshing summer salads.
There are an endless number of combinations that can be used to prepare salads: greens, beans, vegetables, fish, meat... Spaniards most often use olive oil, vinegar or mustard as a dressing.
The secret of the popularity of Spanish tapas (snacks) is known. Olive oil, garlic, herbs slightly saturate and at the same time whet the appetite. Exotic southern ingredients and fiery Spanish sauces give the appetizers a unique charm. Pyrenean culinary traditions mixed in this blessed land with Moorish ones, and with the discovery of the New World, products from the American continent began to be used en masse in kitchens.
In addition, it should be remembered that Spain is a multinational country. Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia and other regions have different culinary traditions. Therefore, there is no single concept of “Spanish salad”. However, all these snacks are united by ease of preparation, an abundance of greens and vegetables, and necessarily filling ingredients. After all, on a hot summer afternoon, lunch is often limited to tapas. Salad, patatas bravas - what else do you need? Maybe a glass of sangria.
Sombrero salad
Remove the canned sweet peppers from the brine and cut into strips. Let's add one hundred grams of canned corn and green peas - also without liquid, of course. Peel the onion and roughly chop it (you can simply divide it into eight parts). Chop three hundred and fifty grams of ham into cubes. From a bunch of parsley, select a few sprigs for decoration and finely chop the rest.
Line the dish with iceberg lettuce. We'll place our dish on top of it. The Spanish Sombrero salad is usually dressed with vinaigrette sauce. Mix olive oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper. Let's wait a little before serving. All ingredients of the dish should be thoroughly soaked in the sauce.
Baked Tomato and Bacon Salad
To start, take twelve tomatoes and two cloves of garlic. We bake them in the oven or on the grill. Cut the tomatoes soaked in garlic spirit into slices. Cut two hundred and fifty grams of bacon into strips. Fry them in a dry frying pan. We roast fifty grams of pine nuts so that they crunch in the mouth.
Sprinkle the dish with a mixture of lettuce leaves. Place baked tomatoes and bacon on this bed. Sprinkle with pine nuts. This Spanish salad recipe suggests dressing with a sauce made from olive oil (five tablespoons), balsamic vinegar (1 tablespoon) and Dijon mustard (2 tablespoons). And the final touch. Sprinkle the finished salad with goat cheese. It will take about two hundred grams. You can simply crumble the cheese with your fingers.
Salad with tongue
This is more of a winter dish. Pour boiling water over one tongue and cook over low heat for about two hours. Fifteen minutes before it’s ready, salt it. Separately, boil three or four potatoes and one large carrot in their jackets. Peel the tongue and chop it into strips. Cut the potatoes and carrots into cubes. Place two hundred grams of green beans in a frying pan with hot vegetable oil. Pour in a quarter cup of boiling water and simmer until the water evaporates. Add spices and fry for another two minutes. Let cool and add to Spanish salad with tongue. Drain the liquid from the jar of pitted olives. We will also add them to the salad, as well as three pickled finely chopped cucumbers. Let's introduce a shredded head of Chinese cabbage. Season the dish with mayonnaise and garnish with herbs.
Beef salad
First we make the marinade. Take half a glass of olive oil, pour in a few drops of Tabasco, a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce and wine vinegar. Add about one hundred grams or a little more of beef tenderloin to this mixture. Boil two or three potatoes in their jackets. Clean and season with a spoon of olive oil, chopped dill and a small amount of chili pepper.
We tear the lettuce leaves with our hands. Remove seeds from sweet peppers and cut into strips. Pour balsamic sauce over paprika and lettuce leaves. Remove the beef from the marinade and cut into cubes. Fry in a dry frying pan. Let's start putting together the Spanish salad with beef. First place the potatoes in a transparent dish. Level the layer. Place beef on top of potatoes. Place salad with bell pepper on top. Decorate the dish with halved cherry tomatoes.
Ensalada de Mar
Place a handful of croutons on two lettuce leaves. Place on top: one chopped cucumber and several cherry tomatoes. Fry shrimp (50 grams) in vegetable oil with garlic, salt and pepper. Once cooled, place on vegetables. Sprinkle the Spanish salad with shrimp with chopped onions and arugula, and season with olive oil.
Lifestyle? A light salad can serve as a complement to meat or as a main course, and in both cases, learning recipes for delicious Spanish salads will never hurt.
Ensalada malagueña (Malaga salad)
Salad typical of Andalusia and the province of Malaga. Previously it was called “salmorejo” (not to be confused with the rabbit marinade and cream soup of the same name). We are talking about a summer salad, the main ingredients of which are boiled potatoes, orange, green onions, olives and cod. If desired, you can add boiled eggs and parsley. The salad is prepared at home, served in bars as tapas or in restaurants.
To prepare this salad, you need:
- 3 potatoes
- 100 g salted cod
- 3 oranges
- 100 ml olive oil
- Several green onions
- 10 olives
- Salt to taste
Boil the potatoes, cool, cut into small pieces. For a richer taste, you can boil it in the peel.
Cut the orange into slices without draining the juice. Finely chop the green onions. Mix potatoes, oranges and onions with orange juice. Garnish with chopped cod and olives. Add salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and refrigerate for half an hour before serving.
Ensalada murciana (Murcia salad)
Ensalada murciana (also called moje or mojete) is a typical dish of the La Mancha and Murcia region. There are two ways to prepare the salad: adding chopped fresh tomatoes or peeled canned ones. Also, instead of tuna, the Spaniards can use salted cod or olives instead of black olives.
This is a modest and simple, but surprisingly tasty dish, the perfect complement to which is crispy fresh bread that you can dip into the dish.
To bring the recipe to life, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 large can of canned tomatoes (600-800 g)
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 eggs
- 150 g canned tuna
- 10-12 olives
- Olive oil
- Salt
Boil the eggs and leave to cool. Cut the onion into half rings and leave in a deep plate with water and salt for a few minutes. This will give it softness.
Open the canned tomatoes and carefully strain. Place them in a deep plate and chop them with a knife or fork, leaving a few large pieces. Peel the eggs and cut each into about 8 pieces. Open the can of tuna, drain the liquid and, after gently mashing it with a fork, transfer it to a plate. Chop the onion and add it to the salad along with the olives. Salt and season with olive oil to taste. Mix everything well and leave in the refrigerator for a while before serving.
Spanish cuisine is famous all over the world for its amazing dishes. Of course, it cannot be called unified, because this country is very multinational, like our Russia, and, therefore, many different traditions are intertwined in its cooking, giving it a special flavor and unique charm.
The Spaniards love simplicity of preparation, without special intricacies, and also respect olive oil, hot garlic, fresh herbs, ripe tomatoes and successfully add them to almost every recipe. These ingredients form sunny, bright and rich salads. We present options for the best of them for your consideration.
The first recipe. Spanish classic salad with champignons and Feta cheese
This dish contains almost everything that the Spaniards love - tender mushrooms, bright greens, juicy pickled olives and soft cheese. The overall impression of the salad is its delicate consistency, amazing taste and lightness, suitable for dietary nutrition. The main feature of this treat is that the recipe includes fresh, non-heat-treated champignons, so pay special attention to the choice of this ingredient in the store. In addition to the main ingredients, you can add slices of ripe tomatoes to the dish.
We will need:
- Marinated olives with lemon – 1 jar;
- Feta cheese – 100 grams;
- Fresh lettuce leaves – 65 grams;
- Large fresh champignons – 9 pcs.;
- Olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.
Preparation:
- We sort through fresh champignons to identify worms or rotting. Be sure to wash them thoroughly and clean them if necessary. Dry it a little, then cut it into even halves. After this, we chop them into even, neat and beautiful slices;
- Drain the brine from the olives into a separate container, add our fresh champignons to the liquid. Let it soak for 15 minutes;
- We cut the olives themselves into circles;
- Drain the brine from the Feta cheese, then mash it with a fork;
- Rinse fresh lettuce leaves, place them on towels or napkins to dry, then tear them into uneven pieces directly with your hands;
- The mushrooms had time to marinate a little in the olive brine, so we drained the liquid. It won't be useful anymore;
- Now let's assemble our Spanish salad, as required by this recipe. Combine mushrooms, torn herbs and Feta cheese with olives. Season everything with olive oil, add salt;
- Now we put the food on a beautiful plate, and then take it to the table.
Tip: If you do not risk adding fresh champignons prepared in this way to the dish, replace them with a pickled version.
The second recipe. Timbal salad with avocado and tuna
This option for preparing mixed dishes is one of the masterpieces of Spanish cuisine; it is very popular among people leading a healthy lifestyle, as well as vegetarians. Nobody has been arguing about the usefulness of avocado in its composition for a long time; on the contrary, there are legends about a huge amount of vitamins, healthy fats and nutrients. This fruit does not contain sugar, but perfectly pacifies and suppresses the feeling of hunger. The other salad ingredients included in this recipe perfectly complement, enrich and saturate the taste of the dish.
We will need:
- Ripe avocado – 1 fruit;
- Tuna in oil (canned) – 1 jar;
- Green salad Arugula – 65 grams;
- Ripe tomato – 1 pc.;
- Olive oil – 2 tsp;
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp;
- Sea salt – ½ tsp;
- Garlic – 2 cloves;
- Ground peppers.
Preparation:
- Peel and rinse the garlic. Then we grind it in a press or on a grater;
- Cut the avocado into halves and remove the pit. Scoop out the pulp from it with a spoon and mash it with a fork until it becomes puree;
- Sprinkle the resulting mass with lemon juice, then pour in olive oil with garlic puree, add a little pepper powder (any kind) and fine sea salt. Let's mix everything;
- Cut or prick a strong, ripe tomato with a toothpick in two places. After that, we scald it, and then it will be very easy to remove the skin. Cut the peeled tomato into cubes, let the juice drain, and set aside the pulp for the salad;
- Rinse the arugula and place it on a towel to dry;
- Salt the excess oil from the tuna and mash it evenly with a fork;
- Now let's assemble our salad. First, add a layer of avocado, olive oil and garlic paste with lemon juice;
- On top of this add chopped tomato without skin, and then add canned mashed tuna;
- Garnish with some arugula lettuce leaves. You could also put it at the very beginning, under the first layer of food.
Tip: The recipe for this dish can be slightly modified by replacing the Arugula salad with finely chopped green onions.
Recipe three. Sombrero salad with ham and sweet pepper
The name of the famous headdress is usually identified with Mexico, but its true roots are associated with Spanish traditions. Translated, “Sombra” means darkening, shadow, which leaves an imprint on the design of the dish of the same name. It contains well-known and beloved products. Their combination allows you to create a stunningly beautiful and incredibly tasty dish, which even the most demanding eaters usually like. We offer you a classic recipe for this salad.
We will need:
- Ham – 320 grams;
- Canned yellow bell pepper (homemade or store-bought rolled in oil) – 150 grams;
- Onions – 1 pc.;
- Canned vegetables (peas and corn) - 1 jar each;
- Green salad – 50 grams;
- Vegetable oil – 20 grams;
- Fresh parsley – 40 grams;
- Vinegar – 10 ml;
- Powdered black pepper – ½ tsp;
- Salt.
Preparation:
- Drain the brine from the canned sweet peppers, and then put it in a sieve so that every last drop is glassed. Then the ingredient can be cut into small cubes. If the skin peels off, remove it, otherwise it will spoil the taste;
- Now let's prepare the onion. Let's clean it, rinse it. Cut into large slices;
- We also drain all the brine from canned vegetables; you can put it in a sieve for this purpose;
- Let's clean the ham. Cut into thin circles, and then chop them into small rectangular slices;
- Rinse the fresh parsley, shake off the droplets, dry it a little with a towel, then select a few beautiful branches for decoration. And we’ll tear the rest off the stems, after which we’ll chop it finely and finely;
- We also rinse the salad leaves and let them dry on their own, otherwise they will quickly wither in the dish;
- Now let's assemble our Spanish salad. Combine the ham with chopped canned peppers, add sweet corn, green peas, large slices of onion, and chopped parsley. Season everything with powdered black pepper, salt and add olive oil. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly;
- Place lettuce leaves of suitable shape on a plate and add the prepared treat to them;
- Decorate each serving with a sprig of parsley and treat the whole family!
Tip: To make “cups” out of green salad, use large, round, curved leaves. Then the wide “sombrero brim” will acquire the correct appearance.
Recipe four. Andalusian salad with Chinese cabbage
This Spanish salad has the crunch of bok choy, the sweetness of ripe tomatoes, the richness of chicken, and the amazing aroma of spices. It is difficult to find a person who would not like such a treat, because the ingredients included in it are so loved by many of us and combine perfectly with each other. The original marinade-dressing adds a bit of piquancy to a bright, elegant, truly summer salad. Try to cook this chic dish for your family at least once, and this recipe will forever “settle” in your cookbook.
We will need:
- Chicken – 200 grams (excluding bones);
- Sweet strong tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
- Chinese cabbage – 100 grams;
- Soy sauce – 4 tbsp. l.;
- Mayonnaise – 1 sachet;
- Curry powder – ½ tsp;
- White bread – 200 grams.
Preparation:
- First, let's prepare a marinade for the chicken, which will also serve as our salad sauce. To do this, combine soy sauce with curry and mayonnaise into one mixture. Let's mix it;
- Now let's take care of the chicken. Rinse it, separate the seeds, remove the skin. Cut into medium pieces, 1 finger thick, and then marinate in one third of the prepared marinade for half an hour;
- At this time, you can do vegetables. Rinse the Chinese cabbage and dry it. Then cut into strips very thinly;
- We also wash the tomatoes well and wipe them. Shred into neat, beautiful slices;
- We cut the white bread into thin slices, and then chop each of these pieces into small cubes. Line the bottom of a large baking sheet with oiled paper and distribute our bread evenly over it. Then we dry everything, brown it in the oven at 150 degrees;
- During this time, the chicken meat was marinated. Fry it in a frying pan in a small amount of vegetable fat;
- Now let’s assemble our wonderful treat floor by floor, since we have a recipe for a puff pastry dish. First, lay out the Chinese cabbage and tomatoes, sprinkle everything with some of the sauce;
- Next, lay out the fried chicken, pour our dressing over it again;
- The salad is ready, all that remains is to sprinkle it with crackers just before serving. Help yourself to your health!
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