Christmas Canapés with Spanish Tinned Seafood: 5 Easy Ideas

These Christmas canapés with Spanish tinned seafood are an easy way to start Christmas dinner or a New Year’s Eve party. A tin of mussels in escabeche, some bonito and a few everyday ingredients will get you most of the way there. You can make the whole platter without turning on the oven. Crisp toast, cool cucumber and tender potato give the five bites different textures.

Each recipe makes six canapés. Make all five for a platter of 30, or about five per guest if you’re serving six. If you’re also putting out cheese, charcuterie or other starters, choose three recipes and make one of each per person. When shopping, check the drained weight and, where the tin gives one, the piece count.

1. Pickled mussel and potato canapés

For six: one medium potato, six Dardo mussels in escabeche, chives and a little of the liquid from the tin.

Boil the potato whole until a small knife slides in easily. Let it cool, peel it and cut six slices about 1 cm thick. Pat the slices dry, top each one with a mussel and finish with a few drops of the escabeche and chopped chives. The potato takes the edge off the tangy marinade. Taste one before adding any salt.

If the potato is narrow, slice it diagonally so the mussels have more room to sit. You can also use tasting spoons if you’d like to add a little extra escabeche without it running across the platter. Make the first one small enough to eat in one bite and use it as a guide for the rest.

2. Bonito tuna and piquillo pepper toasts

For six: six small slices of bread, about 75 g of drained Ortiz bonito del norte in escabeche, two piquillo peppers and parsley.

Toast the bread in a dry frying pan and let it cool in a single layer. Drain the peppers, cut them into strips and lay one or two on each toast. Use a fork to split the bonito into large flakes, place them on the peppers and scatter over some chopped parsley. The sweetness of the pepper goes especially well with the vinegary tuna.

You can slice the peppers in advance and keep them separate from the bonito. This makes it easier to lift out whole flakes and gives you a few more minutes of crunch once the toasts reach the table. If you’re serving another escabeche on the same platter, taste the bonito before spooning on any extra marinade.

3. Cucumber bites with tuna and lemon

For six: six thick cucumber rounds, about 60 g of drained tinned tuna, a tablespoon of cream cheese, lemon zest and black pepper.

Mash the tuna and cream cheese together with a fork. Add a little lemon zest, taste and add more if needed. Pat the tops of the cucumber rounds dry and spoon a little of the mixture onto each one. Finish with freshly ground black pepper. The lemon comes through quickly, so start with a small pinch of zest.

Leave the cucumber skin on if it’s thin and keep the centres intact so the rounds are easy to pick up. If the seeds are large, cut the rounds nearer the ends, where the flesh tends to be firmer. These are a fresh bite to put between the toasts and the richer fish canapés.

4. Sardine, tomato and olive toasts

For six: six baguette slices, three sardines in oil, one ripe tomato and six La Española anchovy-stuffed olives.

Toast the bread in a frying pan. Grate the tomato and drain off any excess liquid in a sieve. Spread a thin layer of tomato on each toast, add half a sardine and finish with a sliced olive. Use a whole sardine if the ones in your tin are small. Taste the first toast before seasoning because the fish and olives already bring plenty of flavour.

Keep the tomato in a bowl until you’re ready to assemble the platter. If the sardines are packed in olive oil, a few drops from the tin are enough to dress the fish. A baguette works well because the little slices are sturdy enough to hold both the tomato and the sardine.

5. White asparagus and anchovy canapés

For six: six mini toasts, three thick white asparagus spears, three anchovy fillets, a tablespoon of cream cheese and chives.

Drain the asparagus, cut each spear in half and gently pat it dry. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the toast and add a piece of asparagus. Cut the anchovy fillets in half lengthways and place a strip on each toast. Finish with chives or a little of the lemon zest left over from the tuna bites.

If the asparagus rolls off the toast, cut it lengthways and sit the flat side on the cream cheese. Place the bites with the asparagus tips facing out so guests can tell them apart from the bonito toasts.

What can you prepare ahead?

Boil the potato, slice the piquillos and mix the tuna topping ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate the perishable ingredients and follow the storage instructions on each tin after opening. Keep the toast separate and add the wet toppings just before serving. If you’re expecting people to arrive at different times, assemble half the platter first and bring out the rest when you need it.

Browse the Spanish tinned fish and seafood at Your Spanish Corner to choose a few tins for your Christmas shopping list. Mussels, bonito and tuna are enough for a mix of tangy, crisp and fresh bites. If you’re celebrating away from Spain this year, a small platter is an easy way to share a few familiar flavours with the people around your table.