Savory papas aliñas, a Spanish lukewarm potato salad with tuna and lots of olive oil. Add whatever ingredients you want to it!
Here is yet another dish that we got to know while visiting Sevilla a couple of years ago: silky papas aliñas!
Have you heard of it before?
What does it mean exactly?
Aliñas comes from the Spanish verb aliñas and it means to marinate or season food, especially with olive oil, pepper and salt. This is not just any everyday potato salad though.
It is a true Spanish delicacy!
Best Spanish Papas Aliñas Potato Salad
You only make authentic papas aliñas with freshly cooked potatoes.
Peel them immediately while they are still very hot.
Yes, you might also burn your fingers but that is just part of this recipe. Once the potatoes are peeled, then chop them up roughly and drizzle them straight away with a good splash of quality olive oil.
Why?
The warm potatoes will absorb the olive oil beautifully because of the heat.
Stir the warm potatoes very well: that will make them a little mushy and sticky. Don’t turn them into a mash though.
Keep them chunky enough to add extra texture to the potato salad.
Bar Europa in Sevilla
This potato salad was one of the many creative tapas on the menu at restaurant Bar Europa in Sevilla.
I remember the silky and oily lukewarm potatoes, the crunch of that freshly chopped sweet onion. It also contained a couple of cooked shrimp as well.
Excellent.
I kept my papas aliñas potato salad traditional though. Instead of cooked prawns I added some canned tuna, fresh parsley, sliced red onion and hard-boiled eggs.
Other Spanish classic dishes I tasted at Bar Europa for the very first time: salmorejo and ajo blanco, 2 Spanish cold soups. I often prepare those here in Spain whenever we need a cold lunch on a hot day. Delish!
Enjoy!
Best Spanish Papas Aliñas Potato Salad Recipe
Savory papas aliñas, a Spanish lukewarm potato salad with tuna and lots of olive oil.
- 12,5 oz waxy potatoes (350 g)
- ½ small onion
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 2 oz canned tuna (55 g), drained
- good quality olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- a handful green olives or black olives
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
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Don’t peel the potatoes but add them to a large pan and add water until they are fully submerged. Season with a pinch of salt.
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Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the potatoes to a rolling boil. Then turn the heat lower and cook them until tender and cooked through on the inside. Check with a fork. Then drain the potatoes and immediately peel them while still hot.
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Then chop the peeled potatoes up into bite-size pieces and add them to a large mixing bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil. Don’t be shy, it is important for this salad that the potatoes are generously coated in oil.
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Stir the potatoes well for a minute. Then add the freshly chopped parsley and the chopped yellow onion to the bowl as well.
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Stir again and add half of the white wine vinegar. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt.
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Stir again and check the seasoning. Add extra olive oil, vinegar, pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the lukewarm potatoes onto a large plates. Then crumble the drained tuna and sprinkle it on top of the potatoes salad. Peel and slice the eggs. Place them on top of the salad as well. Sprinkle with extra olive oil, pepper and salt. Serve lukewarm.
