Tortillitas de Camarones
Updated: Dec 28, 2020
Tortillitas de Camarones or shrimp pancakes is one of the star dishes of Cadiz cuisine, it seems that its origin is in San Fernando How to make shrimp tortillas, a traditional recipe from Cádiz. Easy recipe and tips for making perfect shrimp pancakes.
Ingredients for Tortillitas de Camarones:
- 3 scallions, white part and a little of the tender green tops, finely chopped
- ½ pound small shrimp, peeled
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet pimenton
- Salt
How to make Tortillitas de Camarones:
Add the shrimp in a sauce pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, quickly lift out the shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Discard the remaining water. When the shrimp are cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.
To make the batter, combine the flour, parsley, scallions and pimenton in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and the cooled cooking water. Mix well until you obtain a texture slightly thicker than a pancake batter. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and mince finely. The pieces should be the size of coffee grounds. Remove the batter from the refrigerator, add the shrimp, and mix well.
Pour the olive oil to a depth of about 1 inch - 2½ cm into a heavy sauté pan and heat over high heat until it is almost smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the batter to the oil for each fritter and, using the back of the spoon, immediately flatten the batter into a round 3 1/2inches (7 - 8cm) in diameter. Do not crowd the pan.
Fry, turning once, until the fritters are golden and very crisp.
Using a slotted spoon, lift out the fritters and transfer to an ovenproof platter lined with paper towels to drain further.
Keep the fritters warm in a low oven. Fry the rest of the batter in the same way, always making sure the oil is very hot before frying more fritters.
When all the fritters are fried, arrange them on a platter and serve immediately.
Enjoy!