Garlic Shrimp

So what is tapas? The story goes that many centuries ago in Spain, barkeeps at tabernas gave patrons rounds of bread to cover their sherry glass to keep the flies out of their drink. Soon, small toppings were put on the bread and a cuisine was born. Tapa is an eclectic mix of tastes and textures, all served with plenty of crusty bread to pile on the toppings or soak up the  juices.  All you need to eat tapas is a picar, or fork.

The very nature of tapas is informal and fun, making it perfect for entertaining. Whether lingering over drinks, or “grazing” through dinner, plan your menu around a balance of purchased “ready to eat” (olives, etc), make-ahead, and those that need a little last minute preparation. Serve the dishes a few at a time, in the center of the table so that everyone can sample each dish. To accentuate the range of personalities within the food, I like to use an assortment of serving pieces with personality, too. No matching “sets” for tapas!  To round out the mood, serve lush Spanish wines or sangria along with the tapas.

Garlic shrimp is  the quintessential dish for dipping good crusty bread into the garlicky oil.