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What to eat in Spain? Top 61 Spanish Meat Dishes

Last update: Thu Mar 20 2025
Top 61 Spanish Meat Dishes
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01

Lamb Dish

CASTILE AND LEÓN, Spain
4.5
Cordero asado
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Cordero asado is a popular Castillan dish made by roasting a whole lamb over an open fire. The lamb is usually marinated with lemon, garlic, and various fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Once it is properly cooked, cordero asado is typically accompanied by roasted potatoes and onions on the side.


The dish is especially popular during the Christmas season.

02
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This simple Spanish dish known as pollo al ajillo consists of chicken pieces drenched in garlic sauce. The sauce is usually made with white wine, stock, garlic, and herbs such as bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. It can be consumed as the main course or as a tapa.


It is recommended to serve pollo al ajillo with vegetables or mushrooms on the side.

MOST ICONIC Pollo al ajillo

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03

Meat Dish

ANDALUSIA, Spain
4.4
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Carrillada is a traditional dish made with braised pork (de cerdo) or beef (de ternera) cheeks. The dish is especially popular in Andalusia, and the best version is supposedly made with local Iberian pigs. The cheeks are usually braised in red wine or port, typically with root vegetables and spices such as paprika, bay leaves, and cumin.


Cinnamon is also sometimes added. The dish is slowly cooked until the sauce is thick and the cheeks are tender. Carrillada is often served as a tapa.

04
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Often referred to as the original paella, this Valencian classic traditionally consists of rice that is cooked alongside chicken thighs, rabbit, three types of beans, tomatoes, and snails. Valenciana is generously seasoned with saffron and smoked paprika.


It is always prepared in shallow paella pans. According to tradition, the use of additional ingredients is strictly forbidden, and only Valencian rice (PDO) should be employed in the dish. Paella Valenciana is praised for its flavor and the combination of local, authentic ingredients that perfectly illustrate the culinary heritage of the region.

MOST ICONIC Paella Valenciana

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05

Lamb Dish

CASTILE AND LEÓN, Spain
4.3
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Lechazo is a Spanish dish consisting of a roasted suckling lamb. In order for the lamb to classify as lechazo, it must weigh between 5 and 7 kg and its age cannot be more than 20 to 30 days. The lamb must be fed only on its mother's milk, hence the name lechazo, derived from the word leche, meaning milk.


Today, numerous restaurants in Spain specialize in lechazo, where they roast the lambs in traditional wooden stoves known as hornos de leña.

MOST ICONIC Lechazo

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06
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Albóndigas en salsa is a traditional dish that's typically eaten as a tapa. This appetizer consists of meatballs in rich tomato sauce. The small meatballs are often made with a combination of beef, pork, veal (or a combination of the three), breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs, garlic, flour, and seasonings, while the sauce is made with garlic, onions, tomatoes, red wine, olive oil, paprika, salt, and stock.


Before cooking them in the sauce, the meatballs are usually lightly browned. When the sauce becomes thick, the dish is served, often with crusty bread and a glass of red wine on the side. It is believed that these meatballs originated as a Berber or Arab dish which was brought over to Spain during the Muslim rule. 

MOST ICONIC Albóndigas en salsa

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07

Meat Dish

ANDALUSIA, Spain
4.3
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Pringá is a traditional dish with Andalusian origins. It consists of cured sausages (morcilla, chorizo), roast pork or roast beef, and either pork or beef fat. The meat is cooked slowly for a long time until the meat starts to fall apart easily.


Pringá can be served in different ways – as pieces of meat on a plate, eaten without cutlery by combining the meat with pieces of bread (pringando), or as a tapa, where the meat is tucked inside bread rolls as a small sandwich. 

MOST ICONIC Pringá

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08
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Solomillo al Cabrales is a traditional dish originating from the region of Asturias. The dish is usually made with a combination of beef tenderloin, Cabrales cheese, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The tenderloin is brushed with olive oil, then placed over thyme in a roasting pan and roasted until medium-rare.


The thyme is discarded, and the tenderloin is then seared over high heat, removed from the pan, and wrapped in foil. After a few minutes, the meat is cut into small cubes (or thick slices for a main dish) that are arranged on a warmed plate. Each piece is sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, then topped with a piece of strong blue cheese and drizzled with olive oil. 
09
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Tortos is a traditional dish originating from the Asturias region. This humble dish is made with a combination of corn flour, ground pork that’s seasoned with paprika (picadillo), and eggs. The tortos (corn fritters) are made with a combination of corn flour, wheat flour, salt, water, and olive oil.


Although they can be made with corn flour only, the wheat flour is usually added for better consistency. The dough is shaped into balls which are then left to rest in the fridge for a few hours. Later on, the dough is flattened and fried in hot olive oil on both sides until golden. 
10

Veal Dish

ASTURIAS, Spain
4.2
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Cachopo is a meaty delicacy from the Spanish region of Asturias, consisting of two veal or beef steaks filled with cheese and a slice of ham. The whole concoction is then coated in breadcrumbs and fried in hot oil. The dish is traditionally served with roasted potatoes, grilled peppers, and mushrooms on the side.


Today, there are numerous versions of this classic dish prepared with fish, chicken, or pork.

MOST ICONIC Cachopo

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11
12
13
Meat Dish
ANDALUSIA, Spain
4.1
14
Pork Dish
PROVINCE OF SEVILLE, Spain
4.0
15
Pork Dish
CASTILE AND LEÓN, Spain
3.9
16
17
18
19
20
21
Pork Dish
ANDÚJAR, Spain  and  one more region
3.7
22
Stew
ANDALUSIA, Spain
3.6
23
Rice Dish
CALASPARRA, Spain
3.5
24
25
26
Stew
EXTREMADURA, Spain
3.3
27
Game Dish
CASTILLA-LA MANCHA, Spain
3.2
28
Stew
CATALONIA, Spain  and  one more region
3.0
29
30
Stew
CANARY ISLANDS, Spain
n/a
31
32
Stew
LLEIDA, Spain
n/a
33
Goat Dish
PROVINCE OF MÁLAGA, Spain
n/a
34
35
Stew
GRANADA, Spain
n/a
36
37
38
Stew
EXTREMADURA, Spain
n/a
39
Stew
VALENCIA, Spain
n/a
40
Stew
BURGOS, Spain
n/a
41
42
Rabbit Dish
CANARY ISLANDS, Spain
n/a
43
Stew
CATALONIA, Spain
n/a
44
Chicken Dish
PROVINCE OF VALLADOLID, Spain
n/a
45
46
47
48
Stew
PROVINCE OF SEVILLE, Spain
n/a
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
Stew
BALEARIC ISLANDS, Spain
n/a
57
58
Stew
PROVINCE OF MÁLAGA, Spain
n/a
59
Chicken Dish
PROVINCE OF GRANADA, Spain
n/a
60
Duck Dish
PROVINCE OF SEVILLE, Spain
n/a
61
Meat Dish
CANARY ISLANDS, Spain
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 61 Spanish Meat Dishes” list until March 20, 2025, 1,650 ratings were recorded, of which 1,259 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Spanish Meat Dishes