Appetizer
46 viral appetizer recipes — clear, structured, and quick to cook.
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Tortilla espagnole — omelette de pommes de terre
Slow-confit potatoes and onion folded into eggs and slid in and out of a small pan. The interior should be barely set — jugosa. Five ingredients, total technique.
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Houmous — purée de pois chiches au tahini
The Levant's beloved dip done right: chickpeas cooked until falling-apart soft, blended with a generous amount of good tahini, lemon, and garlic into something impossibly silky. Pooled with olive oil and eaten warm with bread.
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Ceviche — poisson mariné au citron vert péruvien
Peru's bright, beachy classic: fresh white fish 'cooked' in lime juice with chili, red onion, and cilantro, served with the citrusy leche de tigre, sweet potato, and toasted corn. Ten minutes, raw technique, total freshness.
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Gazpacho Andaluz — soupe froide de tomate andalouse
Andalusia's answer to summer heat: ripe raw tomatoes blended with cucumber, pepper, garlic, day-old bread, good olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar, then chilled until ice-cold. Silky, bright and refreshing — drunk from a glass or served in a bowl with crunchy diced toppings. No cooking required.
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Gyoza — raviolis japonais poêlés
Japan's beloved dumplings: thin wrappers stuffed with juicy pork and finely chopped cabbage, garlic, ginger and nira, then cooked the yaki-gyoza way — fried crisp on the bottom, steamed soft on top, finished with a lacy golden 'wing'. Served with a punchy soy-vinegar-chilli oil dip.
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Patatas Bravas — pommes de terre épicées espagnoles
Spain's favourite tapa: crisp golden potato cubes topped with a smoky, spicy brava sauce (and often a cool garlic aioli). Crunchy outside, fluffy within, with a paprika-warm kick — they're on every bar table in Madrid. Simple, vegetarian and made for sharing with a cold drink.
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Gỏi Cuốn — rouleaux de printemps frais vietnamiens
Vietnam's fresh (unfried) spring rolls: prawns, pork, rice vermicelli and a bundle of herbs wrapped in soft, translucent rice paper, served cool with a rich peanut-hoisin dip. Light, fresh and pretty — the herbs glowing through the wrapper — and naturally gluten-free. Once you get the hang of rolling, they're quick and endlessly customisable.
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Baba ganoush — caviar d'aubergine fumé
The smoky sibling of hummus: whole eggplants charred over an open flame until the flesh collapses and tastes of smoke, then mashed with tahini, lemon, garlic and good olive oil. Silky, smoky and tangy, it's a mezze cornerstone scooped up with warm pita. The whole dish lives or dies on properly charring the eggplant.
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Bruschetta — pain grillé italien à la tomate
Italy's perfect antipasto: thick slices of country bread grilled until charred, rubbed with a raw garlic clove, drizzled with good olive oil, and — in the classic version — heaped with diced ripe tomato and basil. It began as a way to taste new olive oil on toasted bread; the magic is in great bread, great oil and great tomatoes, and almost no cooking.
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Salade caprese — tomate, mozzarella et basilic
The salad that captures an Italian summer in three ingredients: ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, arranged in the red-white-green of the Italian flag, dressed simply with good olive oil and salt. From the island of Capri, it's barely a recipe — which is exactly why it lives or dies on the quality of the tomatoes, the mozzarella and the oil.
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Chả Giò — nems vietnamiens (rouleaux frits)
Vietnam's crackling fried spring rolls: a savoury filling of pork, shrimp, wood-ear mushroom and glass noodles wrapped in rice paper and fried until shatteringly crisp and golden. Served with herbs and lettuce to wrap and a bowl of nước chấm for dipping, chả giò (nem rán in the north) is the celebratory roll found at every Vietnamese feast — crunchy outside, juicy inside.
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Xiaolongbao — raviolis-soupe de Shanghai
Shanghai's marvel of a dumpling: a delicate pleated wrapper enclosing seasoned pork and a hidden pool of hot, savoury soup that bursts when you bite in. The magic is solidified gelatinous stock folded into the filling, which melts back to liquid as the dumplings steam. Xiaolongbao reward patience and a careful pleat — and the ritual of dipping in black vinegar and ginger, then sipping the soup, is one of the great pleasures of the table.
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Haemul pajeon — galette coréenne aux fruits de mer et ciboule
Korea's beloved savoury pancake: a batter laced with whole scallions and loaded with seafood — squid, shrimp, mussels — fried until the edges are lacy and crisp and the middle stays tender, with an egg often poured over to set it. Haemul pajeon is rainy-day comfort and the classic partner to makgeolli (rice wine), torn into shares and dipped in a tangy soy-vinegar sauce. The trick is a hot, well-oiled pan for crisp edges.
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Yakitori — brochettes de poulet grillées japonaises
Japan's beloved izakaya skewer: bite-size pieces of chicken (and every part of it — thigh, skin, meatball, liver) threaded onto bamboo and grilled over hot coals, brushed with a glossy sweet-savoury tare glaze or simply seasoned with salt. Yakitori is smoky, charred-at-the-edges, and made for sharing over cold beer. The magic is high, direct heat, repeated dips in the tare, and not overcooking the juicy thigh.
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Dolmades — feuilles de vigne farcies grecques
The dainty, savoury parcels of the Greek table: tender grape (vine) leaves rolled around a fragrant filling of rice, herbs, onion and pine nuts, simmered gently in olive oil and lemon until silky. Dolmades (dolmadakia) are a labour of love made by the trayful — served warm or, in the meatless 'yalantzi' style, cool with a squeeze of lemon as part of a meze spread. Bright, lemony and herby, they're addictive little bites.
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Badrijani — rouleaux d'aubergine aux noix géorgiens
A jewel of the Georgian supra (feast table): slices of fried eggplant rolled around a vivid, garlicky walnut paste seasoned with the country's signature spices — blue fenugreek, marigold, coriander — and finished with ruby pomegranate seeds. Badrijani nigvzit is rich, savoury and a little tangy, eaten cool as an appetiser. The walnut filling, smooth and intensely flavoured, is the heart of so much Georgian cooking, and here it's at its most elegant.
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Gravlax — saumon mariné à l'aneth scandinave
The elegant cured salmon of Scandinavia: a fresh fillet buried in a cure of salt, sugar and masses of fresh dill, weighted and left in the fridge for a couple of days until silky, firm and translucent. No cooking, no smoke — just time. Sliced paper-thin and served with a sweet-sharp mustard-dill sauce (hovmästarsås) on dark bread or boiled potatoes, gravlax is a centrepiece of the Nordic smörgåsbord and Christmas table, and astonishingly easy to make at home.
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Chawanmushi — flan d'œuf salé vapeur japonais
An elegant, savoury egg custard from Japan, steamed in a cup and eaten with a spoon: dashi whisked with egg into a silky, just-set custard hiding little treasures — a piece of chicken, a prawn, a slice of shiitake, ginkgo nuts, a sliver of kamaboko — finished with fragrant mitsuba. Chawanmushi (literally 'tea-cup steamed') is unique among custards for being umami-rich and unsweetened, served warm as a starter or alongside a Japanese meal. Smooth as silk when done right, it's all about the ratio of dashi to egg and a gentle, low steam.
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Croquetas — croquettes espagnoles au jambon
The most beloved of Spanish tapas and the ultimate use for leftovers: a thick, creamy béchamel studded with finely chopped jamón (or chicken, salt cod, mushrooms), chilled until firm, then shaped, crumbed and fried into crisp golden nuggets with a molten, savoury centre. Croquetas are a fixture of every bar and every abuela's kitchen, fiercely debated and lovingly perfected. The contrast is everything — shatteringly crisp shell, silky-soft inside that almost flows. They take patience and a cold rest, but a good croqueta is one of the small perfect pleasures of Spanish food.
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Guacamole — purée d'avocat mexicaine
Three minutes, no cooking, one bowl: ripe avocado crushed with lime, salt, onion, chili, and cilantro. The whole art is restraint — let the avocado lead, keep it chunky, and serve it the moment it's made.
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Trempette au Poulet Buffalo
Buffalo chicken dip is the warm, creamy, tangy-spicy crowd-pleaser that always disappears first at a party. Shredded chicken is folded into a rich base of cream cheese, ranch, and sharp cheddar, spiked with cayenne pepper sauce, and baked until the edges bubble and the top turns molten and golden. Softening the cream cheese and beating it smooth before anything else is the trick that keeps the dip velvety instead of oily or grainy.
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Fromage au piment doux
Pimento cheese is the South's beloved "caviar" — a lush, tangy spread of hand-grated sharp cheddar bound with mayonnaise, a little cream cheese, and sweet jarred pimentos. Grating the cheese yourself gives it a craggy, meltable texture that pre-shredded bags simply can't match, while a splash of hot sauce and Dijon keeps every bite bright instead of heavy. It comes together in about ten minutes, chills briefly, and is ready to scoop, spread, or melt.
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Poppers de jalapeño
These jalapeño poppers are fresh chiles halved and stuffed with a garlicky, sharp-cheddar cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and baked until the peppers soften and the bacon turns deep and crisp. Every bite is molten, smoky, and mildly spicy inside a crackly bacon shell. Baking on a wire rack lets the fat render away so the bacon crisps evenly instead of steaming, while the oven's heat mellows the raw bite of the jalapeños.
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Tomates Vertes Frites
Fried green tomatoes are a Southern classic: thick slices of tart, unripe tomato wrapped in a seasoned buttermilk wash and a crunchy cornmeal crust, then shallow-fried until deep golden. The contrast is the whole point, a shatteringly crisp shell giving way to a juicy, still-firm, pleasantly sour interior. Salting the slices first and using a real cornmeal-and-panko coat is what keeps them crisp instead of soggy.
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Sliders au Jambon et Fromage
Soft Hawaiian rolls piled with layers of deli ham and melty Swiss, brushed with a buttery Dijon-poppy seed glaze and baked until the tops turn glossy and golden. The contrast is the whole point: sweet pillowy bread, salty ham, gooey cheese, and a savory-tangy crust on top. Baking the whole slab connected keeps every slider juicy inside while the glaze caramelizes across the surface, so you pull apart a dozen sandwiches that taste like they took far more effort than they did.
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Boulettes de Saucisse
Sausage balls are bite-sized savory rounds of raw breakfast sausage, sharp cheddar, and baking mix that bake up golden and craggy outside while staying tender and juicy inside. A little cream cheese and milk keep them from turning dry and dense, which is the classic complaint with this three-ingredient party snack. They come together in one bowl, freeze beautifully, and disappear fast at brunch and game-day spreads.
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Ailes de poulet au citron et au poivre
Crackly, oven-baked chicken wings tossed in a glossy lemon-pepper butter that hits sharp, buttery, and peppery all at once. A light coat of aluminum-free baking powder dries out the skin and blisters it crisp in the oven, so you get fried-wing crunch with none of the deep-fry mess. Fresh lemon zest stirred in off the heat keeps the citrus bright instead of bitter.
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Boulettes de viande aigres-douces
These party-perfect sweet and sour meatballs are tender, oven-baked beef balls simmered in a glossy pineapple sauce that balances tangy vinegar against brown-sugar sweetness. Baking instead of frying keeps them juicy with a lightly caramelized crust and no greasy splatter, while a quick cornstarch slurry gives the sauce a clingy, spoon-coating shine. Studded with sweet bell peppers and pineapple chunks, they work as a crowd-pleasing appetizer or an easy weeknight dinner over rice.
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Cocktail de Crevettes
Shrimp cocktail is the ultimate make-ahead appetizer: plump, sweet shrimp gently poached in a seasoned broth, then shocked in an ice bath so they snap with a cold, firm bite. Poaching instead of hard-boiling keeps the shrimp tender rather than rubbery, and chilling them thoroughly locks in a clean, briny flavor that plays against a bright, horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce. It comes together in about an hour and looks far more impressive than the effort it takes.
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Trempette aux épinards
This is the classic cold, creamy spinach dip that anchors every party spread: cool sour cream and mayonnaise loosened with lemon, studded with crisp water chestnuts and sliced scallions, and thickened by well-squeezed spinach. A no-cook mix that just needs a couple of hours in the fridge, it turns silky and savory as it rests, and scooped from a hollowed sourdough loaf it disappears fast. Squeezing the spinach truly dry is the whole trick that keeps it thick instead of soupy.
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Dip aux épinards et aux artichauts
This baked spinach artichoke dip is the bubbling, golden-topped crowd-pleaser you know from restaurant menus, made with a tangy cream cheese base, briny artichokes, and plenty of melty mozzarella and Parmesan. Squeezing the spinach bone-dry and softening the cream cheese first are what keep it thick, scoopable, and never watery. A splash of lemon juice cuts the richness so you keep going back for one more chip.
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Beignets de maïs
Golden, lacy-edged corn fritters that shatter at the crust and stay creamy-sweet in the middle. Blitzing a third of the kernels releases their starchy milk, which binds the batter so you need less flour — the fritters taste like corn, not pancake. A quick shallow fry in a hot skillet gives you crackly edges without deep-frying.
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Lumpia (rouleaux de printemps philippins)
Lumpia are the slim, shatter-crisp fried spring rolls that anchor every Filipino party table, filled here in the classic Shanghai style with garlicky ground pork, carrot, and green onion. Rolling them thin and tight — no wider than your thumb — is the secret: the raw pork filling cooks through in the same few minutes it takes the wrapper to blister deep golden, so you get juicy meat inside a wrapper that audibly crackles.
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Cocktail de crevettes à la mexicaine
This is coctel de camarones the way Mexican mariscos stands serve it: plump poached shrimp, crunchy cucumber and onion, and creamy avocado swimming in a chilled, spicy-sweet tomato-lime broth you drink with a spoon. A gentle off-heat poach keeps the shrimp snappy instead of rubbery, and a short rest in the fridge lets the Clamato, ketchup, lime, and hot sauce meld into something far greater than the sum of its parts.
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Pizza aux Légumes
This cold veggie pizza is the potluck classic done right: a buttery crescent-roll crust baked until golden, slathered with a fluffy ranch-spiked cream cheese layer, and topped with a confetti of crisp raw vegetables. Every square eats crunchy, creamy, and cool all at once. Cooling the crust completely and patting the vegetables dry are the two moves that keep the base snappy instead of soggy.
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Gin tonic
The gin and tonic is Britain's definitive aperitif: piney, citrusy gin lengthened with bitter, quinine-laced tonic over a full glass of ice. Made properly it is ice-cold, brightly fizzy, and balanced between botanical and bitter rather than watery or flat. The method here leans on three details that matter — a chilled glass, a 1:3 gin-to-tonic ratio, and tonic from a freshly opened small bottle poured gently down the side to protect the bubbles.
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Dip de Queso Blanc
This is the silky white queso you get at a Tex-Mex restaurant: white American cheese melted with evaporated milk, green chiles, and a quick sauté of onion, jalapeño, and garlic. The evaporated milk is the trick — its concentrated milk proteins keep the cheese emulsified and pourable instead of clumpy or greasy. It comes together in one saucepan in about 25 minutes and stays scoopable as it sits.
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Trempette Taco
This cold layered taco dip starts with a whipped cream cheese and sour cream base spiked with taco seasoning and lime, then gets piled with crisp lettuce, sharp cheddar, juicy tomatoes, olives, and green onions. Whipping the cream cheese on its own first keeps the base silky instead of lumpy, and seeding and blotting the tomatoes means the layers stay distinct instead of turning soupy. It comes together in about 20 minutes of hands-on work with zero oven time, which is exactly why it shows up at every game day and potluck.
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Fondue au Fromage
A classic Swiss cheese fondue: nutty Gruyère and mellow Emmentaler melted into dry white wine until glossy, stretchy, and just barely boozy, ready for spearing with cubes of crusty bread. Tossing the grated cheese with cornstarch and adding it a handful at a time over gentle heat keeps the emulsion silky instead of greasy or stringy, while a splash of lemon juice and kirsch sharpens all that richness.
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Ailes de poulet grillées
Smoky, crackly-skinned chicken wings with juicy meat that pulls cleanly off the bone, finished in a quick buffalo-style butter sauce. The secret is two-zone grilling: the wings render slowly over indirect heat with the lid down, then take a fast sear over the flames for char without flare-up scorch. A brown sugar and smoked paprika rub gives them deep color and a savory-sweet crust before the sauce ever touches them.
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Margarita Classique
The classic margarita is a three-ingredient Mexican cocktail that lives or dies by balance: peppery blanco tequila, bright fresh lime, and just enough orange liqueur to round the edges. Shaken hard with plenty of ice, it turns frosty, lightly frothy, and sharply refreshing, with a salted rim that makes every sip taste brighter. Sticking to a 2:1:1 ratio and squeezing the limes yourself is what separates this from the syrupy mixes.
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Trempette mexicaine au maïs
This hot Mexican corn dip takes its cues from esquites: sweet corn charred hard in a skillet, then folded into a tangy cream cheese and sour cream base with jalapeño, green chiles, and melty Monterey Jack. Charring the kernels first is the move that matters — those browned, toasty edges keep the dip from tasting like plain creamed corn. It bakes until bubbling at the edges, then gets showered with cotija, lime, and cilantro so every scoop lands creamy, smoky, and bright.
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Mojito Classique
Cuba's most famous highball: white rum, fresh lime, mint, sugar, and a splash of soda over plenty of ice. Pressing the mint gently with sugar and lime juice releases its cooling oils without tearing the leaves into bitterness, so every sip tastes bright and clean rather than grassy. It takes ten minutes, no cooking, and rewards you with a drink that is fizzy, tart, and just sweet enough.
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Vodka Martini
A vodka martini is the cleanest cocktail in the canon: ice-cold vodka and a whisper of dry vermouth, stirred with plenty of ice until silky and served in a frosted glass with a lemon twist or olives. Stirring — not shaking — chills and dilutes the drink without clouding it or shearing off ice chips, so you get that glassy, weightless texture the drink is famous for. Starting with freezer-cold vodka and a fresh, refrigerated bottle of vermouth is what separates a great one from a merely cold one.
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Blooming Onion (oignon frit en fleur)
A whole sweet onion is cut into petals, double-dredged in paprika-spiked seasoned flour, and deep-fried until it fans open into a crackly golden flower. Each petal pulls away shatteringly crisp outside and silky-sweet inside, ready to drag through a creamy horseradish dipping sauce. An ice-water soak opens the petals, and the flour-egg-flour coating pressed deep between the layers is what keeps every bite crunchy instead of soggy.
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Empanadas au poulet
Golden, flaky hand pies stuffed with shredded chicken simmered in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce with melty Monterey Jack. The butter-and-vinegar dough bakes up crisp and tender without frying, and simmering the filling until it is thick and almost dry keeps every seam sealed. They are the rare party appetizer that tastes just as good reheated the next day.
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