Spanish · Andalusia · snack

Tortillitas de Camarones

Tortillitas de Camarones reads richness 5.6, umami 5.0 and salinity 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Spanish · Andalusia snack, about 1 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.6 · Umami 5.0 · Salinity 4.5 · Marine & Briny 4.1 · Herbaceous 3.3 · Nutty 2.5 · Allium 2.0 · Earthy 1.6 · Sweetness 1.5 · Bitterness 1.4 · Floral 1.0 · Fruity 0.6

What's in it (8)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 5 min (5 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 109.7 kcal, 8 g protein, 1.2 g fat, 16.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. These are the lace-thin fritters of the Bay of Cádiz, eaten standing at a bar with a glass of manzanilla. The shrimp are the tiny estuary camarones, used whole — heads, shells, everything. That is not a shortcut; the shells are what makes the fritter crunch and taste of the sea. If you cannot get camarones, the smallest raw brown shrimp you can find will do, but do not use peeled prawns, which turn the fritter into a pancake with lumps in it.
  2. Whisk the chickpea flour, plain flour, salt and the ice-cold water to a thin batter — thinner than you expect, about the consistency of single cream. It should run off the spoon in a thread. A thick batter gives you a doughy disc instead of lace.
  3. Stir in the shrimp, spring onion and parsley. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Chilling matters: cold batter hitting hot oil is what throws out those ragged crisp edges.
  4. Heat the oil in a wide shallow pan to 190C (375F) — hotter than for most frying. Test with a spoonful of batter; it should spread and start to lace immediately.
  5. Drop a small ladleful into the oil and, as it lands, push it outwards with the back of the ladle so it spreads into a thin uneven disc about 12 cm across. Fry 2 minutes, turning once, until deep gold and rigid. Do two at a time at most.
  6. Drain on a rack and eat immediately, while they still shatter. They do not keep for even ten minutes and no amount of reheating brings them back.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.