Contrary to popular belief, Spanish tapas don’t necessarily all include heaps of jamón or chorizo nor do they always contain seafood. Much like my simple blistered padrón peppers or tomato salad, these garlicky mushrooms – known as chamiñones al ajillo in Spanish – are completely vegan and achingly simple to make.
Spanish cuisine really celebrates letting the ingredients sing and this is no different. There are only a handful of ingredients in this recipe and the only reason it takes a bit of time is that you need to brown the mushrooms. Besides that, you’ll be eating an authentic Spanish tapa in under 20 minutes from start to finish.

How to Make Spanish-Style Garlic Mushrooms
So the first step (and really, the main step) of this recipe is browning your mushrooms. In order to get the optimal flavour from the mushrooms, you do want them to brown and take on considerable colour, but you can stop short of browning them until very crispy like in my wedge salad recipe.
All you need to do is add a bit of olive oil to a large skillet. Set it over medium-high heat and, once shimmering, add in your mushrooms along with a generous pinch of salt.

Stir occasionally and you will notice the mushrooms begin to release a lot of water and shrink considerably.
As they cook, the water will evaporate and then they will begin to take on colour. Once the mushrooms are beginning to brown and are a light golden colour (after about 8-10 minutes), go ahead and remove them from the pan.

Now, add in a good amount of roughly chopped garlic and a pinch of red chili flakes. Cook this until really fragrant and just softened – only a couple of minutes.
Then, add the mushrooms back in and stir to combine. Go ahead and deglaze the pan with a bit of dry white wine.

Cook this just until the strong alcoholic smell has cooked off and the wine begins to reduce but – again, only a minute or two.
Now, all you need to do is stir in a splash of sherry vinegar and a good amount of chopped fresh parsley.

Serve the mushrooms immediately, preferably with a lot of crusty bread and some other Spanish-inspired dishes. My marinated olives are a great option, as are my Basque-style gildas!

Spanish Garlic Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- 60 ml (¼ cup) dry white wine
- 1 tsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet. Set over medium-high heat and, once shimmering, add the mushrooms along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to take on colour and turn lightly brown – 8-10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic and chili flakes to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and softened – 2-3 minutes.
- Return the mushrooms to the pan and pour over the wine. Cook until reduced and the strong alcoholic smell has dissipated – 2-3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and parsley. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This super simple garlicky mushroom tapa is a great way to bring some Spanish flavours into your home kitchen!
Are you after a great mushroom tapa recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
