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Tortillitas de camarones
Shrimp and chickpea-flour fritters
Tortillitas de camarones: Cádiz's lacy, crisp shrimp and chickpea-flour fritters
SpanishAround the Bay of Cádiz, especially in San Fernando and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, tortillitas de camarones are fried to order in bars and eaten with fingers: thin, lacy fritters of chickpea flour, spring onion and parsley studded with tiny whole shrimp. The local camarones are eaten shell and all; outside the bay, small raw peeled prawns, roughly chopped, work well. The batter must be as thin as single cream, so it spreads into a crisp lace in the oil. Chef's tip: keep the batter in the fridge until the last moment; cold batter hitting hot oil gives the most delicate lace.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz chickpea flour
- 1 ¾ oz plain flour
- 1 cup ice-cold water
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 spring onionsvery finely chopped
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 7 oz tiny raw shrimp or small raw peeled prawnslarge prawns roughly chopped
- 2 cups olive oilfor shallow frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 ½ oz chickpea flour, 1 ¾ oz plain flour, ¾ tsp salt and 1 cup ice-cold water into a smooth batter about as thick as single cream. Stir in 3 spring onions, 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and 7 oz tiny raw shrimp or small raw peeled prawns. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Heat 2 cups olive oil about 1.5 cm deep in a wide frying pan to 350°F, when a drop of batter sizzles hard at once.
5 minStep 3: Stir the batter, then drop in a tablespoonful and immediately flatten and spread it with the back of the spoon to a thin disc about 10 cm across. A common mistake is a thick, pancake-like batter: if your first fritter is not full of holes, thin the batter with a little more cold water.
Step 4: Fry 3–4 at a time for 1–1½ minutes a side, until golden, lacy and crisp, with the shrimp pink and opaque.
15 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and serve straight away while they still crackle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortillitas de camarones take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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