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Tortitas de camarón
Shrimp fritters
Tortitas de camarón: dried shrimp and egg fritters in red chilli sauce with nopales, a Mexican Lent classic
Friday lunch during Lent in Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca often means tortitas de camarón: airy fritters of beaten egg and ground dried shrimp, fried golden and then simmered in a guajillo-ancho sauce with tender nopales. The dried shrimp gives a deep, briny savouriness that a little goes a long way with. Buy them at Mexican or Asian grocers; they should smell of the sea, not of ammonia, and be pink-orange, not grey. Chef's tip: grind the shrimp with heads and legs removed, then sieve the powder, so no sharp bits end up in the batter.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 4 dried guajillo chilliesstemmed and seeded
- 1 dried ancho chillistemmed and seeded
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 nopal cactus paddlesspines removed, cut into strips
For the tortitas
- 2 ⅞ oz dried shrimp
- 4 eggsseparated
- ¾ cup vegetable oilfor frying
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak the 4 dried guajillo chillies and 1 dried ancho chilli in hot water for 15 minutes. Boil the 3 nopal cactus paddles for 8 minutes until olive green, drain and rinse.
15 minStep 2: Blend the drained chillies with 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ tsp ground cumin and 2 cups water until smooth. Strain into a pan with the hot 1 tbsp vegetable oil and simmer 10 minutes over a medium heat until slightly thickened. Do not salt yet.
15 minStep 3: Pull the heads and legs off the 2 ⅞ oz dried shrimp, rinse briefly and dry. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or blender, then sieve.
8 minStep 4: Whisk the egg whites from the 4 eggs to stiff peaks, fold in the yolks, then fold in 4 tablespoons of the shrimp powder; stir the rest into the sauce.
5 minStep 5: Heat the ¾ cup vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry heaped spoonfuls of batter for 1–2 minutes per side until puffed, golden and set through; drain on paper. A common mistake is adding salt to the batter or sauce before tasting: dried shrimp is very salty.
12 minStep 6: Add the nopales to the sauce, taste and only then salt if needed, slip in the tortitas and simmer 4–5 minutes until they soak up some sauce. Serve with rice and tortillas.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortitas de camarón take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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