Spanish Main Dishes

🇪🇸 Spain

Spanish Main Dish Recipes

From saffron-scented rice to garlicky roasted octopus, explore the entrées that anchor Spain's rich regional culinary traditions.

Huevos Rotos con Jamón Ibérico Pulpo a la Gallega Bacalao al Pil Pil Chorizo a la Sidra +14
18 main dishes, each with a recipe ↓
📖 See the Full Roundup: Spanish Food: 57 Delicious Dishes to Try in Spain →
Spanish main dishes vary by region but share a devotion to quality ingredients treated simply — saffron rice, cured pork, and fresh seafood, each highlighted rather than masked by seasoning.
Paella Valenciana
Spain's Most Iconic Dish

Paella Valenciana

Spain's most iconic dish, paella Valenciana simmers saffron rice with chicken, rabbit, and green beans in a wide shallow pan — the origin recipe behind the world's favorite Spanish rice dish.

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More Spanish Main Dishes to Try

Huevos Rotos con Jamón Ibérico
Huevos Rotos con Jamón Ibérico
Fried eggs over crispy potatoes & ham
Pulpo a la Gallega
Pulpo a la Gallega
Galician-style octopus with paprika & olive oil
Bacalao al Pil Pil
Bacalao al Pil Pil
Basque salt cod in garlic-olive emulsion
Chorizo a la Sidra
Chorizo a la Sidra
Chorizo simmered in Asturian hard cider
Rabo de Toro
Rabo de Toro
Spanish oxtail braised low and slow until tender
Fabada Asturiana
Fabada Asturiana
Hearty white bean stew with chorizo and morcilla
Marmitako
Marmitako
Basque tuna and potato stew, a fisherman's classic
Cachopo
Cachopo
Asturias' giant breaded veal cutlet stuffed with jamón and cheese, fried and served with fries.
Cocido Madrileño
Cocido Madrileño
Madrid's chickpea stew served in three courses: broth with noodles, then vegetables, then the meats.
Pollo al Chilindrón
Pollo al Chilindrón
Aragón's chicken braised with peppers, tomato, onion and jamón.
Fideuà
Fideuà
Valencia's paella made with short noodles instead of rice, crisped in the pan and served with allioli.
Merluza en Salsa Verde
Merluza en Salsa Verde
Basque hake in a parsley, garlic and white-wine sauce with clams and peas.
Dorada a la Sal
Dorada a la Sal
Whole sea bream baked in a crust of coarse salt, cracked open at the table.
Bacalao a la Vizcaína
Bacalao a la Vizcaína
Salt cod in the Basque red sauce of choricero peppers and onion.
Flamenquín
Flamenquín
Córdoba's rolled pork loin and jamón, breaded and fried until crisp.
Olla Podrida
Olla Podrida
The Castilian "rotten pot": red beans slow-cooked with every part of the pig.
Pote Asturiano
Pote Asturiano
Asturias' cabbage, bean and potato stew with chorizo, morcilla and pork.

A Guide to Spanish Main Dishes

Spain's main dishes are regional. Paella valenciana belongs to Valencia and, done properly, has rabbit and chicken rather than seafood. Asturias gives fabada, the white bean stew with chorizo and morcilla, and chorizo a la sidra; the Basque coast gives bacalao al pil pil and marmitako; Andalusia gives rabo de toro. Pulpo a la gallega and huevos rotos show how a main can also be a tapa.

Start with the recipes above, then see the full roundup of 57 Spanish dishes, or explore all Spanish food and recipes from across Latin America and Spain.

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