My family and I traveled to Spain many years ago and I still to this day crave the amazing food. From the street vendors to white table cloth restaurants, the culinary scene of Spain is pure heaven. I may or may not have gained a pound a day with the amount of tapas I consumed, which makes me wonder how the Europeans stay so damn skinny.
Here are the top dishes you’ll crave like crazy when you come home from your Spanish vacation:
1. Tortilla Española (Spanish Potato Omelette)
Photo courtesy of pikachakula.com
Now this isn’t your typical diner-style omelette. This beauty is chalk full of the fried potatoes and onions with a crispy outer crust making it the ultimate hangover food after your night at the local disco.
2. Jamón Ibérico (Cured Ham)
Photo courtesy of manjariberico.com
Wondering what Spanish cured ham is? Imagine bacon, but ten times better. You can get this porky goodness for breakfast paired with eggs, for lunch in a sandwich, or for dinner as your chic-AF cheese course.
3. Croquetas de Jamón (Ham Croquettes)
Photo courtesy of expatica.com
These croquettes are the equivalent to a tater tot on steroids. You can easily pop at least 20 of these puppies in your mouth within 5 minutes and not feel once once of guilt about it.
4. Calamares Fritos (Fried Calamari)
Photo courtesy of thetapaslunchcompany.co.uk
What’s not love love about fresh fried calamari? Go to any beach in Spain and you’re almost guaranteed to find a local food vendor serving up some of the most delicious calamari you will have in your entire life.
#SpoonTip: Don’t waste your money at the 5-star restaurant for these classic appetizer — the hole-in-the-wall beach stands do it ten times better.
5. Pulpo Gallego (Octopus with Paprika)
Photo courtesy of hotelandia.com
Octopus gets a bad rap. It tends to be chewy and unpleasant and the whole tentacle thing is kind of a turn off, but this dish is the complete opposite of that. The octopus is melt in your mouth tender and paired with perfectly boiled potatoes and seasoned with smoky paprika with a hint of fresh lemon.
6. Paella
Photo courtesy of spain-recipes.com
This is the pinnacle of classic Spanish dishes. It’s traditionally made up of a mix of seafood, sausage, and chicken which is cooked together with creamy saffron rice that forms the most delicious crispy layer on the bottom of the pan. ¡Delicioso!
7. Gazpacho
Photo courtesy of lottieanddoof.com
There are many varieties of this cold, refreshing soup, but nothing beats the classic tomato gazpacho. There’s something about eating a bowl of this on a warm summer day in a quaint café on the streets of Barcelona that make it taste infinitely better than the replications here in the United States.
8. Flan (Créme Caramel)
Photo courtesy of foodswinesfromspain.com
Imagine the delicious French créme brûlée, minus the brûlée part. Then add a sweet and sticky caramel syrup and, viola, you have flan. I mean, what’s not to love?
You can find this decadent dessert in almost any traditional Spanish restaurant and my suggestion is: Order it. No matter how full you are, there is always room for creamy and delicious flan.
9. Churros
Photo courtesy of locogringo.com
We have churros here in the States, but nothing can beat a freshly fried package of cinnamon-sugar goodness in the streets of Madrid where this classic originated. If you want to make this dessert go from a 9.5 to a straight 10, order it drizzled with melted chocolate and caramel. Hello food coma.