Shrimp Tortillitas – quick Sunday lunch

Posted by jimphelps on March 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Mark Bittman’s post, Simplicity from Spain – Tiny Seafood Pancakes, was where I first learned about tortillitas – a small Spanish pancake made with chickpea flour.  These are one of our favorite Sunday lunches.  We end up eating them, sitting at the island in the middle of our kitchen, warm from the pan.

This recipe is fussier than Mark’s but I really like the deeper shrimp flavor that comes through.  I also like the fact that you can buy fresh shrimp, boil them briefly then hold them to cook with a few days later.

Recipe: Shrimp Tortillitas

Summary: Quick chickpea and flour pancakes with shrimp and herbs. Makes 2 to serve 2 for lunch.

Prep Time: Making the shrimp stock takes about 30 minutes or so.  Making the Tortillitas takes about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 to 1/3 Pound Poached shrimp – diced (or raw)
  • 1 to 1 1/4 C Shrimp Stock – see below (or water)
  • 1/2 C Chickpea flour (Garbanzo been flour)
  • 1/2 C All-purpose white flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • Two pinches of kosher salt plus more for shrip
  • A really healthy grind of black pepper
  • 1/3 C minced onion or shallot
  • 1 Tbl minced flat-leaf parsley Olive oil

Instructions

  1. Whisk the flours, salt, pepper and baking powder together in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the stock until you get a constituency like pancake batter or slightly thinner. Let this stand while you prep everything else. You can actually cover the mix and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours. Let it warm up for a few minutes before preceding if you do. You might need to thin it with a bit more stock.
  2. Dice the shrimp and salt lightly.  Mince the onion and parsley. Add this to mix and stir to combine.
  3. Heat a 12″ non-stick pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbl spoon of olive oil. If you want crispier edges that are lacier, add more oil.
  4. Add half of the batter to the pan and spread the batter with the back of a ladle or spoon. Turn the pan to run the oil all around the edges of the tortillita. Let the tortillita cook for 3 minutes or until the edges are cooked and bubbles have come through. It is like cooking pancakes.
  5. Gird your loins and then flip the tortillita. You must do this with conviction. Shake the pan to get the tortillita moving then give it a flip. You can also slide it onto a plate then flip it back in but where is the fun and showmanship in that!
  6. Cook for 2 more minutes then flip once more for another minute. The outside will be browned and the edges crispy. The interior will be soft and delicious.
  7. Cut into wedges and serve with a salad.

Recipe: Shrimp Stock

Ingredients

  • Shells from 1/2 pound of shrimp
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 10 Allspice Berries
  • 1 Tbl Peppercorns
  • A 1/2 inch by 1 inch piece of lemon zest
  • Ends from an onion (or a small piece of onion)
  • 4″ piece of celery
  • 4 Cups cold water
  • 2 good pinches of kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Bring everything to boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt level. Strain out the solids and either move the stock back to the pan to poach the shrimp or move it to a clean jar or container to refrigerate or freeze.

Variations

To poach peeled shrimp to use in the Tortillitas: Bring the stock to a simmer. Drop in the shrimp and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until just opaque and cooked through. Fish out the shrimp and put them in an ice bath to chill.

I usually poach 1/2 pound of shrimp at a time.  I use the leftover shrimp on a salad or eat them as a snack or appetizer.

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