* This is a sponsored post for Murcia Tourism *
A Spanish Tapas Platter is packed full of meat, cheese, bread and vegetables and is the perfect throw together meal for entertaining guests this summer. Easy to adapt with your favourite ingredients, we have lots of suggestions on how to build the perfect tapas platter and where you can buy authentic ingredients.
If you want to serve up something to your guests that is seriously impressive, but with minimal effort, then a Tapas Platter is the perfect solution. Just take a wooden board, place a dip or sauce in the middle and then arrange all the other ingredients round it. Serve it with a nice bottle of red wine and let everyone help themselves. It's the best food for entertaining and hardly any washing up too!
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Why should you try it?
- A delicious way to try Spanish cuisine
- Easy to adapt
- Perfect for entertaining
- Minimal effort
What is tapas?
In Spanish, you can have one 'tapa' and two or more 'tapas'. It is basically a small plate of Spanish cuisine and translates to 'top' or 'lid'.
It is said that when people drank Sherry, they often covered their wine glasses with a slice of bread or meat to keep the flies from doing a nose-dive into the wine, and that is how tapas began and where it got its name. Tapas is classic Spanish cuisine.
Nowadays it is a popular cuisine all over the world and has moved on from a slice of ham covering a wine glass. There are many types of Tapas Bars and recipes can vary regionally, but popular tapas choices include chicken skewers, meatballs, cod croquettes, garlic prawns and crispy smokey potatoes, along with breads, meat and cheese.
The benefit of tapas is you can enjoy 4-5 smaller plates, and even share, so you get to have a hearty meal without being stuffed and you get to try a few different things. Instead of serving it all on different plates, we have served it up on a big platter, making it perfect for sharing.
What goes on a Tapas Platter
The great thing about a tapas platter is that it's so easy to adapt. Your favourite meats, cheeses and vegetables all work with some dips and breads. We have included the recipe for how we have made ours in the picture and in the recipe card below. But here are some extra options if you feel like adapting it.
- Bread - We used a crusty loaf and then some crisp breads which are great for dipping. Bread products are great for filling out the platter amongst the more expensive items. You could also add a few different flavoured crackers and breadsticks too.
- Dip - We have added an incredible tomato marmalade, which goes so well with the meat and cheese. We sometimes swap that for a fig jam or an onion chutney. However, you could add an aoli if you wanted something a bit more indulgent or a garlic and red pepper sauce.
- Olives - It's not a sharing platter without olives in our opinion. The great thing about olives is that there are so many options. Green, black, garlic and herb olives, stuffed olives (chilli or garlic are our favourites).
- Meat - This is a big part of the tapas platter. To keep it traditionally Spanish, we went with chorizo and Serrano ham, however any of your favourite slices of meat will work well.
- Roasted/grilled vegetables - The meat can be quite heavy and salty, so we like to balance it out by adding as many vegetables as we can to add nutrients and colour. We like roasted red peppers, tomatoes, courgette and asparagus. Sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes are good addition too.
- Cheese - Another big part of the platter is cheese. Keeping with the Spanish theme we used Iberico and a Spanish goats cheese.
- Nuts - These add some lovely crunch and texture to the platter. The saltiness goes well with the cheese as well. We used almonds, however any nuts will work.
- Fruit - Grapes and cheese are the perfect match and they help to add a pop of colour to the platter too.
- Tortilla - A nice way to give the platter a bit of a protein boost is some slices of Spanish Tortilla which is an egg and potato dish. It's nice and filling, so it helps to bulk it out a little.
Where to buy authentic Spanish ingredients
Now you know how to build your tapas platter, you need to know where to buy all the ingredients. Whilst you may be able to pick up some of the more everyday items from your local supermarket, to get authentic products sourced from Spain we recommend Products of Murcia.
When you think of Spanish food, your mind might not automatically go to the region of Murcia, but it has such incredible gastronomy (it was voted the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2020) as well as fantastic cultural and historical heritage. Murcia is a lively, dynamic and enterprising city with an enviable climate all year round and our tapas platter was inspired by it.
In Murcia you can enjoy a rich and varied gastronomy based on the products of the land such as vegetables, fish, rice or meats. Murcian products are known for their quality all over Europe and are the protagonists of traditional cuisine.
Murcia's gastronomy is one of its great attractions. The people of Murcia know how to make the most of their rich and varied larder, preserving the healthy virtues of the Mediterranean diet and adding imagination and creativity. It is such a beautiful part of Spain, which incredible food. So, until you can visit there yourself, why not try ordering some products from Products of Murcia to great your own Spanish feast. These are the websites we got our cheese, meat, tomato jam, olives and incredible salted almonds from.
What wine to serve it with
When it comes to a tapas platter, a really good red wine is a must. When you think of Spanish red wine you might think of a Rioja, but the region of Murcia has some incredible wines too.
We served this platter with a bottle of Marrionette which is produced by EgoBodegas. Both the Syrah and Monastrell grapes create a smooth on the palate wine with mature and delicious tannins. Marionette's harvest is done both by hand and mechanical and it is aged in American oak barrels for almost 3 months. Best paired with grilled meats and white and blue fish.
Tips for making the perfect tapas platter
- To make your tapas platter look as appealing as possible, try to use different shape and sized bowls. Things like ramekins and little jars work well.
- Have little spoons, forks, toothpicks and tongs in different parts of the platter to make it easier to pick everything up.
- Although big wedges of cheese or a log of meat look great on a platter, they aren't the most convenient for everyone to help themselves. Slice everything up and it makes it easier for guests to take off a little at a time.
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Recipe
Easy Tapas Platter
Ingredients
- Selection of Spanish meat
- Selection of Spanish cheeses
- Olives
- Bread
- Dips
- Grilled/roasted vegetables
- Nuts
- Fruit
- Tortilla
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a serving board or individual bowls.
- Serve and enjoy
Notes
- To make your tapas platter look as appealing as possible, try to use different shape and sized bowls. Things like ramekins and little jars work well.
- Have little spoons, forks, toothpicks and tongs in different parts of the platter to make it easier to pick everything up.
- Although big wedges of cheese or a log of meat look great on a platter, they aren't the most convenient for everyone to help themselves. Slice everything up and it makes it easier for guests to take off a little at a time.
Beth
This looks great and so colorful! My daughter is going to love helping me make this platter! Such a fun and creative idea!
maryanne
This is a great idea for entertaining! I love offering variety and everything on a tapas platter sounds delicious!
Biana
These tapas look amazing! The board looks so fun and colorful, and most importantly, delicious.
Charla
I haven't been able to visit my favourite Spanish restaurant with the current situation so this post will assist me in making my own tapas platter from scratch. Thank you!
Rosemary
Wow, this looks great. I love the addition of the grilled vegetables and tortilla. The best part is how simple it is to prepare. Yummyness!!
Beth
Oh my! This looks so pretty and so fun! I can’t wait to make this for get togethers!
Anjali
This tapas platter is perfect for feeding a crowd! We brought it to a friend's dinner party the other night and everyone loved it (it was also gone within minutes!)
Adrianne
This looks like a great weekend share plate! I love the selection of ingredients and variety of flavours.
Claudia Lamascolo
I love the ease of this and how fast it came together everyone loves this freshness of this platter
Alisa Infanti
This platter is perfect! Grab a nice bottle of Malbec and dinner is served!
Claire
Woah! Will try in our family night later!
Natalie
Oh wow, what a platter. Beautifully presented. Everything looks so tasty! Perfect for summer parties. Thanks for idea!
Danielle Wolter
What an amazing board! I just love stiff like this. The boyfriend and I made this while having a Saturday afternoon Netflix binge and it was amazing.
Keri Bevan
I love the combination of colours and textures in this tapas board. Definitely going to try. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Mahy
Wow - this platter is perfect for my weekend's party. It is the perfect size and has my favorite produce. Yum!
HeiLin
This Spanish Tapas board looks amazing! There are so many yummy things on there that I love. Bravo!
Tara
Such a gorgeous platter! It is packed with all my favorite things. I especially love all the tips to help make it perfect.
Liz
Now that we can have people over agian, I've been looking for new tapas ideas! Thank you for this!
Mahy
My favorite thing to order when I visit Spain! Love how easy it is to recreate it at home, too!
Eliza Cross
This is the perfect summer appetizer, and your presentation is so beautiful. Great info, too.