Tenerife’s Top Five Tapas
These days, it seems like there’s a tapas restaurant in every city in every country on earth—we even found one in Iceland a few years ago—but when I asked my fellow passengers on our way to Tenerife (in the Canary Islands) for recommendations for tapas restaurants, I got a resounding “Qué?”
This is because traditionally, tapas are not considered a Canarian dish, even thought the Canary Islands are technically part of Spain. Visitors travel to the Canary Islands in their droves, thanks to the abundant cheap flights to Tenerife and Lanzarote, and they have always been presented with plenty of delicious traditional local dishes such as fish casserole to enjoy along the beachfront.
But in recent years tapas have become more common here, as it is in mainland Spain. So with this in mind, here are my top 5 tapas dishes that have a Canarian twist…
1. Pimientos de Padrón
One of the most simple tapas dishes, pimientos de padrón is a special variety of pepper, cooked in oil and sprinkled with rock salt. However, beware the sting in the tail, as while most pimientos are very mild, you get the occasional surprise spicy one that will knock your socks off, so be careful!
2. Croquetas Caseras
Croquetas caseras are small fried balls of almost any filling, usually white fish or ham mixed with potato, but many fillings are possible. We found croquetas caseras that were filled with chicken, tuna and spinach as well, and not only are they delicious, they are also very filling.
3. Carne Fiesta
A dish that will tingle your tastebuds, carne fiesta is the name given to small cubes of pork that has been marinated in garlic, thyme, oregano, spicy peppers, salt, paprika, wine vinegar and white wine. The cubes are then fried to make deliciously tender and moreish meat treats.
4. Tenerife Cheese
The cheese on Tenerife isn’t just good, it’s award-winning, having been awarded the modest title of Best Cheese in the World at the World Cheese Awards. Try Arico, one of the most renowned cheeses from the island to start, but if you’re a real cheese lover, then opt for Curado, which is a very strong cheese.
5. Papas Arrugadas and Mojo
Papas arrugadas are wrinkled potatoes, boiled in salty water and tossed in sea salt, served with either mojo rojo (red salsa) or mojo verde (green salsa). Don’t peel the potatoes, the skin is the best part!