Vegetarian Dishes in Spain

Often described as a 'cold soup', but if that conjures up the imagine of a bowl of chowder that has been left all day, think of it instead as a "liquid salad".

Gazpacho consists of fresh tomatoes, fresh cucumber, fresh peppers, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt with optional onion for kick and bread to act as a thickener and nothing else. Just these ingredients and nothing from a tin, I don't care what American recipe websites tell you.

See a gazpacho recipe

Patatas bravas is another popular Spanish vegetarian dish. Coarsely chopped potatoes covered with a spicy sauce are usually the order of the day, though I've seen potato wedges or halved new potatoes pass for bravas.

Alas, unfortunately sometimes the sauce is replaced for any pink sauce, as many Spaniards can't handle even a touch of heat. If you'd like it spicy, the bar might have a bottle of tabasco gathering dust somewhere.

See a recipe for patatas bravas

If a tapas bar in Spain doesn't have a tortilla on the bar top, it's not really a tapas bar. Are you sure you're in Spain? Basically an omelette with potatoes and often onion, actually you can put almost anything in a tortilla. Zucchini is a popular addition.

Warning On some occasions, this usually vegetarian dish may contain ham. A simple "tortilla de patatas" on the menu won't have ham, but if you're just pointing to a tortilla on the bar top and can't be sure, ask.

See a tortilla recipe

Berenjenas con miel are slices or pieces of aubergine or eggplant, fried and covered in a dark, slightly bitter honey or molasses.

Especially popular in Malaga.

See a recipe for Berenjenas con miel

There is little difference between salmorejo and gazpacho. Salmorejo, occasionally referred to as "porra antequerana", is a thicker version of gazpacho, achieved by adding quite a lot of bread. This one does resemble a tin of tomato soup that has gone cold, but it tastes much better than that.

Warning Salmorejo is usually garnished with ham and egg. Ask for it "sin jamon" if you are vegetarian or "sin jamon o huevo" if you are vegan.

Garbanzos or chickpeas, served with spinach. The proportions can vary widely: sometimes it is a spinach stew dotted with garbanzos, other times it is a plate of garbanzos decorated with spinach. Sometimes it is served as a soup.

See a Garbanzos and spinach soup recipe

 

"Algunos pican, otros no" (some are spicy, others are not"), invariably used to describe pimientos del padron, is such an iconic phrase that I've even seen it on t-shirts.

Especially popular in Galicia and Galician restaurants throughout Spain, these little green peppers are cooked with olive oil and big chunks of salt.

Read more about Pimientos del Padron

Tomato on toast. Yeah, I know, it doesn't sound like culinary genius, but it is pretty amazing. Traditionally a piece of garlic is scrubbed on some lightly toasted bread, after which half a tomato is rubbed over on it and then some olive oil is drizzled on top. Nowadays, many bars just put the whole lot in a blender and then spread the the paste on top.

See how to make pan con tomate

Despite the myth that paella is a seafood dish, you can actually put anything you want on a paella. Most restaurants now will do a vegetarian paella.

See more on paella in Spain

Read more on how to make a paella