As Christmas approaches, the anticipation builds around holiday feasts. While Dutch traditions are familiar, Spain offers a vibrant array of customs and mouthwatering dishes perfect for family gatherings. Drawing from years of exploring Mediterranean cuisine, we've crafted this elegant 3-course Spanish-inspired Christmas menu to bring festive flair to your table.
100 g shrimp
100 g mussels
50 g cod fillet, skinless
50 g salmon fillet, skinless
50 g sea bream fillet, skinless
2 pinches coarse sea salt
70 g waxy potatoes
200 g tomato sauce
150 ml dry white wine
100 ml water
½ celery stalk
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp coarse sea salt
Peel the shrimp, remove shells, and halve lengthwise. Scrub mussels under cold running water, remove beards, and discard any opened ones. Cut cod, sea bream, and salmon fillets into walnut-sized pieces. Season all seafood with sea salt.
Peel celery, carrots, onion, and potatoes; dice into 1.5 cm pieces. Sauté vegetables in olive oil in a large pan. Crush garlic and add. Deglaze with white wine, reduce by half. Add 100 ml water and simmer 15 minutes. Season with sea salt. Just before serving, add seafood to the soup, bring to a boil, and poach for 2 minutes.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Waiting time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
2 bone-in lamb shoulders (approx. 1.5–2 kg)
300 ml dry red wine
200 ml water
3 onions
3 carrots
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 bulb garlic
1 celeriac
½ bunch rosemary
1½ tsp sea salt
400 g waxy potatoes
200 g chorizo, in one piece
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
½ bunch parsley
Sea salt
Pepper
3 endives
1 pomegranate
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
1 pinch sugar
Pepper
Rub lamb shoulders with sea salt and place in a roasting pan. Finely chop onions; cut carrots and celeriac into walnut-sized pieces and add. Dissolve tomato purée in water, halve garlic bulb, and add everything to the pan with red wine and rosemary. Braise in oven at 160°C for about 2 hours.
Boil potatoes a day ahead if possible, peel, and refrigerate. Cube chorizo and slice cooled potatoes. Fry potato slices in butter and olive oil until crispy, then add chorizo. Season with sea salt and pepper; garnish with parsley.
Wash and dry endives; slice into finger-thick strips. Seed pomegranate and toss with endives in a bowl.
Combine vinegar, water, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, and pepper in a shaker; shake well. Dress salad just before serving.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Waiting time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: medium
4 eggs
200 g flour
80 g butter
200 ml water
50 ml orange juice
1 tsp vermouth
2 pinches salt
1 l vegetable oil, for frying
150 g nougat
200 ml cream
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 mangoes
2 limes
50 g icing sugar
1 pinch salt
Bring 200 ml water to a boil with butter, salt, and orange juice. Add flour and stir vigorously until dough forms and pulls away from pan sides. Cool in a bowl, then mix in eggs and vermouth one by one until smooth. Heat oil to 160°C. Pipe 15 cm strips using a star nozzle; fry until golden.
Melt nougat with cream over low heat; season with cinnamon and fleur de sel.
Peel mangoes and purée flesh with icing sugar, salt, lime zest, and juice in a blender.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Waiting time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: medium
