Easy Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe with Prawns

In recent years, a large number of benefits that broccoli provides for good health were discovered, but sometimes it is difficult to know how to add it to meals.

That is why we present to you one of the most delicious broccoli recipes, which is perfect for summer: the Spanish ensalada de broccoli.

Keep scrolling down this article to learn everything you need to know about the best broccoli Spanish salad recipe ever.

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Background of the Dish

The ensalada de broccoli is a staple Mediterranean dish, and it had its origins in Ancient Rome.

This traditional Spanish salad was always under the shadow of other famous Spanish salad tapas like the Spanish macaroni salad and the Spanish potato salad with tuna.

The breakout moment for the ensalada de broccoli took place during the 1990s in Andalusia, where it was advertised as the best way to add this green vegetable to your everyday meals.

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Things You’ll Need for Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe

To make the loaded broccoli salad you need one head of broccoli (or the same amount of frozen broccoli), red onion, red bell pepper, olive oil, and of course, prawns. 

You don’t need more equipment than a bowl and a pot to make this Spanish summer salad.

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli (or one package of 700gr frozen broccoli)
• 500g of medium-size prawns, cooked
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup (90gr) pitted black olives
• 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making the Spanish broccoli recipe, you have to wash the broccoli head, separate the top from the stem (discard it) and cut it into small pieces. If you use frozen broccoli just thaw it and wash it.

2. After that, fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the broccoli pieces) and bring it to a boil. Also, add salt to the water.

3. Now once the water is boiling, add the broccoli pieces and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Make sure to cook the broccoli pieces sparingly to prevent them from becoming mushy.

4. In the meantime, prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice. Once the broccoli pieces are done, remove them from the boiling water and place them in the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Let cool for a few minutes and then drain well.

5. Then, wash, peel, and cut the red onion into small cubes. Do the same with the red bell pepper. In both cases, you can choose to cut them into julienne-style strips for this Spanish salad if you prefer.

6. After that, cut the pitted black olives in half. You can use green olives if you prefer, or just skip them.

7. Now grab a large bowl and mix the cooled broccoli with the red onion, red bell pepper, black olives, and the already cooked prawns (fry them in a bit of oil until they have some color) 

8. In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix the mixture well until the ingredients are fully combined.

9. Then, pour the dressing over the broccoli salad and mix gently to make sure all the ingredients are well coated.

10. For the final step, place the ensalada con brocoli for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving. Then serve it cold.

Substitution of Ingredients

This Spanish-style salad is super simple and the only real main ingredient is the broccoli, you can switch the others as much as you like.

If you aren’t the biggest fan of Spanish salad dressing then you can use a few tablespoons of mayonnaise (although it wouldn’t be a broccoli salad without mayo).

Using fresh ingredients always helps to get a better flavor in the end, but you can turn this into a frozen broccoli salad.

To add more ingredients you can take inspiration from other salad recipes from Spain, like the Spanish chickpea salad, the ensalada de espinacas, or the ensalada de repollo.

Tips on Serving Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe

We love the ensalada de broccoli because if you serve it cold it is the perfect summer salad, but you can also serve it slightly warm during winter days.

To give a twist to this recipe you can turn it into a fresh broccoli salad with bacon, just chop some small squares of bacon, cook them in a saucepan until crispy, and place them on top of the salad.

This salad is a gluten-free broccoli salad, but if you don’t have any dietary restrictions, you can serve it with some croutons or toasted bread.

Lastly, this is more of a Mediterranean broccoli salad thanks to the black olives, but if you don’t like them you can change them with green olives, or simply remove them.

If you want to try one of the easiest salad recipes, go with the Spanish green salad recipe, with lettuce and onion.

How to Store Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe

We don’t recommend storing the ensalada de broccoli for too long, but you can store it for up to 2 days in the fridge.

In that case, you should store it before adding the dressing to the salad, and place it in a covered container (with a lid, plastic wrap, or a clean plastic bag).

Some Spanish salad recipes that can be stored for longer are the ensalada de coditos, the Spanish potato salad with beets, and the Spanish lentil salad.

Recipe Card: Ensalada de Broccoli Recipe

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