Easy Seafood Tapas

Easy Seafood Tapas

Serves 12, two of each per person as an appetizer

For the tuna tapas:

Two 6-ounce cans or jars (more or less) high-quality whole-piece Spanish tuna in olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Freshly-ground black pepper

Coarse salt

Carefully remove the chunks of tuna from the cans or jars and dry them gently with paper towels.  Using a small sharp knife, slice the tuna chunks 1/4- inch thick and set aside.  Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, capers, and parsley together in a small bowl and set aside.  (Both the tuna and capers are salty, so you don’t need salt at this point.  You can add a little pepper to the dressing if you like.)

For the shrimp tapas:

1 pound large chilled cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, about 20 – 30 shrimp

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon finely-grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Large pinch of smoked paprika

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Freshly-ground pepper

Salt

Put the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and set the pan over low heat.  After about 5 minutes the garlic will start to sizzle.  Watch carefully, and when it just starts to get a little golden, pour the contents into a large bowl, add the paprika and let the mixture cool (If you add the paprika before heating, you can’t see the color of the garlic).  Whisk in the lemon juice, parsley, and some salt and pepper, then add the shrimp and toss to coat them all.  Let the shrimp sit at room temperature for an hour, stirring occasionally.  If you make them further ahead, let them sit in the fridge, covered.  Take them out an hour before assembly so they can come back to room temperature.

For both:

48 baguette slices, 1/4 – 1/2-inch thick

48 slices of hard-boiled egg, made using an egg slicer, about 6 eggs

48 one-inch squares of roasted piquillo peppers

48 toothpicks (optional)

Small pitted green or black olives (optional)

To assemble:  Set the baguette slices on platters, and top them first with a slice of egg then a slice of pepper.  For the tuna tapas, top half with a slice of tuna.  Mix the dressing again and drizzle it lightly over the tuna pieces.  Top each with a pinch of coarse salt.  For the shrimp tapas, top the other half with a shrimp and divide any leftover marinade among the pieces.   To finish, you can top with an olive and skewer the whole piece with a toothpick if you like.