Tapas come in all kinds of flavors, some served warm and others cold. For days when you really don't want to cook, these simple cold Spanish tapas are perfect: (almost) no cooking, only a few minutes to prep and lots of great flavors.

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I don't know about you, but there are some days when it's just feels too hot or I'm too sapped of energy to cook. We have had a few of them recently. Sometimes, I'll plan ahead a little and use the slow cooker (pork carnitas tacos are a current favorite) or we'll grill eg chicken satay or steak with chimichurri sauce.

Other days we fall back on pasta with arugula pesto or some other sauce. But uncooked meals, like these cold Spanish tapas, can also be a great alternative.

plates with easy Spanish cold tapas salad, pan con tomate, potato salad and glasses with gazpacho

There's a saying about Madrid's weather:

"nueve meses de invierno, tres meses de infierno"

- nine months of winter, three months of fire. While I didn't live in Madrid during the height of summer, it was still pretty hot some days, and it gets much hotter in the South. Spain knows how to create meals that work for hot weather, as these tasty uncooked tapas dishes show.

How do you eat Spanish tapas?

While tapas are often thought of as a simple snack alongside a drink, it's often more about sharing and eating gradually - you can easily make a meal out of them (see more ideas in what are tapas).

simple summer Spanish tapas on plates with glasses of gazpacho to side

You can mix and match a range of dishes, but here I've gone for a few favorites that provide a range of flavors that all come together to make a delicious, easy meal.

Some of these Spanish tapas are so easy I'd hardly call them recipes, but they still make great little dishes. It might look like a lot of ingredients and different things to put together, but nothing takes much preparation. Plus to me, half the fun of tapas is trying a few things.

pieces of pan con tomate (tomato bread) topped with serrano ham

Pan con tomate y jamon - Bread with tomato and ham

Pan con tomate (or pa amb tomaquet, in Catalan, where it originates) is a classic in Spanish tapas. You'll often get it on the side whatever you order, particularly in Catalunya where I first had it. As the name suggests, it's bread with tomato, but it's so much better than just that thanks to some good oil and garlic.

Traditionally in Catalunya, you rub toasted bread with a garlic clove, then rub it with the cut side of a tomato and drizzle on olive oil. However in other parts of Spain, it's common to make a tomato, garlic and oil blend to then spread over the bread, typically toasted - you can see more about how to make both versions in my pan con tomate post.

It's so simple but has a great flavor and is great to then top with other things, Adding serrano ham is one of the most common, but you can also get various pizza-like llescas (Catalan bread pizza) that start with the pan tomate base. If you can't find serrano ham, then prosciutto is a close alternative.

manchego cheese slices topped with membrillo (quince paste) pieces

Manchego y membrillo - Manchego cheese and quince paste

Manchego is a classic Spanish cheese and a common way to serve it is with membrillo, a quince paste. I can get both Manchego and membrillo in my local Wholefoods but if you can't get them, you could use another good-quality flavorful hard cheese (ideally aged sheep's milk to be in similar style) and honey instead. The two together are a lovely pairing, either alone or on top of bread.

Spain doesn't tend to do that broad a range of desserts and so cheese, particularly with membrillo, is a common menu item instead. If cheese is your thing, also take a look at my Spanish cheese plate where you'll see tips on different Spanish cheeses and what else to add.

Ensalada de naranja y aguacate - Orange and avocado salad

Many Spanish salads are incredibly simple, as you can see is the case here. Simple slices of oranges, avocado, red onion and some black olives lightly dressed with oil and vinegar.

Orange and avocado are common crops in the South and you'll find olives in many areas of Spain. Many Spanish dishes are all about using good quality ingredients and letting them shine and this is certainly one of them.

ensalada rusa or Olivier salad in terracotta dish from side

Ensaladilla rusa - Russian salad/potato salad

Somewhere along the way the Spanish have adopted what they call Russian salad by adapting a potato salad, which was probably more commonly made with ham originally, as their own. It can be simply potato, mayonnaise and peas but it's commonly a mix of carrots and peas and tuna in there as well, along with some red onion, oil and vinegar.

I know this isn't strictly no-cook, but it's a great way to use up leftover cooked potatoes. It's a dish that goes with pretty much anything and was something we'd often get as part of a selection of tapas when I lived in Spain.

Gazpacho - Chilled tomato/vegetable soup

I shared a recipe for gazpacho previously but it seemed only right to include it here as it fits in perfectly with the uncooked tapas theme. It's also very simple to make (see full details, including how-to video, in other post).

None of these dishes take more than a few minutes to make so they are perfect for warm days. So don't despair if you don't feel like cooking: these simple cold Spanish tapas are the perfect solution for summer. Lots of great flavor with little effort.

Looking for more easy tapas ideas? Try these:

Gambas al ajillo (Spanish garlic shrimp)
Blistered Padron peppers (pimientos de padron)
White wine marinated steak with blue cheese
Plus get more Spanish recipes in the archives

close view of plates with easy Spanish cold tapas

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Simple cold Spanish tapas

A collection of tasty small plates that come together for a great Spanish tapas meal, without heating up the kitchen!

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings:

Calories: 585kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

Pan con tomato/tomato bread

½ baguette or similar bread
3 oz serrano ham approx, or can substitute prosciutto though not quite the same
1 tomato
1 clove garlic
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 dash salt or a little more to taste

Ensaladilla rusa/Russian or potato salad

9 oz potatoes cooked, approx
8.5 oz peas and carrots (8.5oz is 1 small can)
5 oz tuna (5oz is 1 small can, for this suggest in water)
½ red onion small
4 tablespoon mayonaise
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon red wine vinegar

Orange and avocado salad

2 oranges
1 avocado
⅛ red onion a few slices
2 tablespoon black olives approx
drizzle olive oil and red wine or sherry vinegar (vinegar optional)

Manchego y membrillo

2 oz Manchego cheese approx
1 oz membrillo approx (quince paste)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

If you want to add some gazpacho to go alongside, I suggest making this first so it can chill.

For tomato bread

First blend the tomato, garlic, olive oil and salt in a blender to make the spread for the bread. Alternatively, grate the tomato, finely grate the garlic then stir to mix with the oil and salt. Set aside while you make everything else. You can use the blender from the gazpacho if you made some without needing to clean that thoroughly. Alternatively, you can simply rub the toasted bread with garlic, then cut tomato then sprinkle a little salt and oil on top.
If you made a tomato puree, once everything else is ready, slice up and toast your bread, spread on a little of the tomato-garlic-oil mixture then lay on some of the ham.

For ensaladilla rusa/Russian salad

Make the Russian salad by peeling the cooked potato and dicing into relatively small pieces (approx ⅓in/1cm) then placing in a bowl.
Drain and rinse the peas and carrots and drain the tuna. Add both to the bowl. Finely dice the onion then add this as well. Add the mayonnaise, oil and vinegar and mix all together, being careful not to break up the potato too much.

For orange avocado salad

Peel the oranges and cut into medium slices across the segments (so like stars). Cut the avocado in half, peel then cut it in slices. Arrange both on a plate and lay a few slices of red onion and some olives over the top then drizzle on a little olive oil and, optionally, red wine vinegar.

For manchego y membrillo

Cut some slices of the manchego cheese across the wedge to give triangles and lay on a plate. Cut slices of membrillo and halve each to give two triangles. Top each slice of cheese with a piece of the membrillo.
Enjoy all the delicious flavors in any order you choose!

Nutrition

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.

Simple summer cold Spanish tapas

How do you eat Spanish tapas?

Pan con tomate y jamon - Bread with tomato and ham

Manchego y membrillo - Manchego cheese and quince paste

Ensalada de naranja y aguacate - Orange and avocado salad

Ensaladilla rusa - Russian salad/potato salad

Gazpacho - Chilled tomato/vegetable soup

Looking for more easy tapas ideas? Try these:

Simple cold Spanish tapas

Ingredients

Pan con tomato/tomato bread

Ensaladilla rusa/Russian or potato salad

Orange and avocado salad

Manchego y membrillo

Instructions

For tomato bread

For ensaladilla rusa/Russian salad

For orange avocado salad

For manchego y membrillo

Nutrition

Remember to pin for later!

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How do you eat Spanish tapas?

Pan con tomate y jamon - Bread with tomato and ham

Manchego y membrillo - Manchego cheese and quince paste

Ensalada de naranja y aguacate - Orange and avocado salad

Ensaladilla rusa - Russian salad/potato salad

Gazpacho - Chilled tomato/vegetable soup

Looking for more easy tapas ideas? Try these:

Simple cold Spanish tapas

Ingredients

Pan con tomato/tomato bread

Ensaladilla rusa/Russian or potato salad

Orange and avocado salad

Manchego y membrillo

Instructions

For tomato bread

For ensaladilla rusa/Russian salad

For orange avocado salad

For manchego y membrillo

Nutrition

Remember to pin for later!

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Leave a Reply Cancel reply