AI-generated image
Tortos de maíz
Corn cakes with fried eggs
Tortos de maíz: Asturian fried corn cakes with fried eggs and green peppers
In the cider houses of Asturias, tortos arrive as a starter: small discs of corn dough fried until crisp outside and soft within, usually piled with something rich on top. Inland farms once ate them in place of bread, since maize grew far better than wheat in the damp valleys. This meat-free version tops each torto with a fried egg and blistered green peppers, with a little crumbled cabrales for those who want it; cabrales is usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian blue cheese if that matters to you. Chef's tip: knead the dough with hot water and let it rest; cold water gives a crumbly dough that cracks in the pan.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the tortos
- 9 oz fine yellow cornmealfinely ground maize flour, not instant polenta
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup hot waterjust off the boil
- ¾ cup olive oilfor shallow-frying
To top
- 8 small green frying pepperssuch as padrón or italian frying peppers
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- 2 ⅛ oz cabrales or vegetarian blue cheese (optional)crumbled
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz fine yellow cornmeal and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, pour in 1 cup hot water and stir with a spoon. When cool enough to handle, knead for 3–4 minutes into a smooth, putty-like dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Divide the dough into 8 balls and flatten each between two sheets of baking paper into a disc about 10 cm wide and 5 mm thick. Smooth any cracked edges with a damp finger.
Step 3: Heat ½ cup olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat until a pinch of dough sizzles hard. Fry the tortos two or three at a time for 2 minutes a side, until they puff slightly, go golden with darker blisters and sound crisp when tapped. Drain on kitchen paper.
12 minStep 4: In a second pan, heat a little of 1 ½ tbsp olive oil and fry 8 small green frying peppers over a medium-high heat, turning, until blistered and soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 pinch flaky sea salt.
5 minStep 6: Put two tortos on each plate, top with a fried egg and the peppers, and scatter over the blue cheese if using. Break the yolk at the table so it runs into the corn.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortos de maíz take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Black bean tacos with lime slaw
Proof that a meat-free taco night can be the best one. The beans are mashed with chipotle and cumin so they hold together in the tortilla, and a quick lime slaw adds crunch.
Mexican
Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushroomsBraised tofu and mushrooms
Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.
Vietnamese
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
