Take your dinner guests on a holiday! It’s not hard to pretend you’re in sun-drenched Spain when you’re grazing on tapas and nibbling rich and tasty paella right out of the pan.

Two quick dishes kick things off – these are both fork-and-plate appetizers, but not so fiddly they can’t be eaten while standing, mingling, or balanced on a knee.

The Menu

#1 Mackerel Salad Tapa, Double recipe

#2 Quail Breast & Chorizo Paella

#3 Quail Eggs with Roasted Peppers & Olives

#4 A simple green salad with jam dressing

Prepare the day before:

• Boil the quail eggs for #3, plunge them into cold water, and peel them. Cover the whole peeled eggs with fresh water and keep in the fridge; they’ll stay in great shape til tomorrow.
• If you’re roasting your own red peppers for #3 (instead of using a jar of piquillos), roast and peel them today, and keep them in the fridge.
• Caramelize the onions for the paella now, and small dice your sofrito (leek, celery & chorizo).
• Whip up the salad dressing now, so it’s ready to shake and serve.

Before the party starts:

• If your Marcona almonds are raw, fry them up in a bit of olive oil, drain and then salt them right away. Keep them on a paper towel at room temperature.
• The salad for appetizer #4 can be prepped in advance and held in the fridge. We plated up individual portions in our recipe, but it’s also lovely (and even easier) served family style.
• Salad greens can be washed, dried, and held in their salad bowl in the fridge, ready to go.

Party time:

• With the ingredients for both appetizers already prepared, they’ll come together in a snap.
• Give your salad greens a quick fluff and dress them very lightly right before serving.
• Cooking the paella will be the festive and social center of the party!

Shopping List

Equipment:
12” Paella Pan

Meats & Dairy:
10 Boneless Quail Breasts
2oz Spanish dry-cured Chorizo
1 dozen Quail Eggs

Produce:
1 bunch Celery
1 small Leek
1 bunch flat-leaf Parsley
1 bunch Lemon Thyme (or substitute regular Thyme & Lemon Zest)
Salad Greens
1 Yellow Onion
1-2 Lemons

Pantry:
1 box Valencian Paella Base
1 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
Bomba Valencia Rice (1½ cups)
Black Garlic, 3 cloves
2 tins Jose Gourmet Small Mackerel in Olive Oil
¼ cup Marcona Almonds
1 jar Piquillo Peppers (or 2 Red Peppers to roast)
1 handful Picholine Olives
Spicy Pimenton (smoked Paprika)
Sweet Pimenton (smoked Paprika)
½ tsp Saffron Threads
A bit of the Mustard & Vinegar you have on hand
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Alder Smoked Salt
Salt & Pepper

Wine Pairings:
We recommend kicking off the evening with a white wine, and an Albariño or a Sparkling Chenin Blanc would be a lovely pairing with the bright flavors of these appetizers.

For the main event, switch gears to a Spanish Grenache that will complement the richer flavors of the paella.