Spanish-Inspired Potato Salad Requires Just A Few Extra Ingredients (And 10x More Exciting)

Potato salad is a dish that changes with the mood, the occasion, and what's in your fridge. Different cultures have their own versions, too. Potato salad in America can often be a bland side dish, but it's a flavorful, fun tapa in Spain. Spanish-style potato salad is a stand-out side dish on it's own, but can also be used as a topping or dip for crusty bread, crackers, or breadsticks. Seafood is what takes Spanish-inspired potato salad to the next level, usually in the form of tuna. It also often includes pimento olives, roasted peppers, and green peas.

There are two varieties of Spanish-style potato salad, one served chilled and the other warm. Ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad) is your classic chilled potato salad made with mayonnaise, boiled eggs, potatoes, canned tuna, olive oil, olives, and pickles. Chop everything up and combine it like you would if you were making an American-style potato salad. Meanwhile, papas aliñás doesn't contain any mayonnaise at all. It's served warm dressed with a tangy mixture of sherry vinegar, fresh herbs, and olive oil. They key is to coat the boiled potatoes when they're still warm so they soak up all the flavor from the dressing. Add tuna, vegetables, and boiled eggs to complete the dish.

Homemade dressing is the first step you should take to create a flashy Spanish-style potato salad. Both ensaladilla rusa and papas aliñás hinge on getting the dressing just right. You're aiming for ultra-creamy, light, and fresh-tasting dressing when you're making ensaladilla rusa. Boursin cheese is what your potato salad has been waiting for if you're making a cold version of Spanish-inspired potato salad, or you could ditch some of the mayo and make potato salad with cottage cheese for a protein-packed twist.

Papas aliñás should be warm but also tangy, bright, and fresh. Embrace the punchy flavor of scallion whites and dice them up into the salad while adding crunchy herbs like fresh parsley for plenty of texture. Capers also add a splash of zesty vinegar flavor and some extra texture to make a vinegar-based potato salad even more interesting.

Garnish both of these Spanish-inspired potato salads with an extra round of mix-in ingredients to make them really stand out. Top each with a generous pile of canned tuna or decorate the top with anchovies and shrimp. Add boiled eggs cut in half for color and drama, then sprinkle fresh herbs over the seafood and dust the whole thing with smoked paprika for a bit of color.