Spanish Tortilla Recipe (Easy Tutorial) (2024)

FAQs

What pan to use for Spanish tortilla? ›

But here are a few tips: Use the smallest pan you can, one that will just accommodate the size of the tortilla—I like a 9- to 10-inch pan— and, if you can, work over a gas burner. You want the flame to lick up the sides of the pan, which is essential for forming the sides of the tortilla and preventing broken edges.

A classic Spanish omelette made of egg, potato, and onion cooked in olive oil.

In Spain, a tortilla is a kind of omelette, with ingredients added - frequently sliced cooked potato and onion. However, over in Mexico, a tortilla is a kind of flat unleavened bread.

Doing it right involves gentle cooking and a daring flip—oh, and a shameless amount of olive oil. Here's how to get there. When the bottom half and outer edge of the tortilla are set, it's time to flip (the top should still be pretty wet).

Mexican tortillas are made with wheat or corn flour. Although they both belong to the Mexican and Tex-Mex culinary tradition, the corn tortilla is undoubtedly the most typical one. As a matter of fact, corn is the basic food in Southern America cuisine, handed down since ancient times, long before Spanish colonization.

The best side dishes to serve with Spanish tortilla are green salad, gazpacho, grilled vegetables, sautéed spinach, chorizo, marinated olives, white rice, roasted red peppers, jalapeno cheese dip, taco soup, mushroom tacos, chicken fajitas, Spanish rice, black bean salad, patatas bravas, and garlic shrimp.

The Spanish tortilla is much more than a variety of bread: it is a traditional dish all by itself. Known in English as Spanish omelet, this popular collation is also called tortilla española or tortilla de patata (potato omelet) in Spanish, because of its origin and its main ingredient.

Mexicans fondly refer to this as 'la copia' (literally: the copy). If you ask around, you'll be given many reasons for this. But a popular explanation is that the second tortilla can be used to make another taco with any fillings that spill out the side.

The Frittata (Italian) and the Tortilla (Spanish) are very similar. The main difference between them seems to be how the eggs are finished. Both begin with the filling and the eggs, cooked on a hob in a frying pan. The frittata is traditionally finished in the oven and the tortillas are flipped and finished on the hob.

Why is it called Spanish tortilla? ›

Nomenclature. The word tortilla, which is the diminutive form of torta, literally means 'small cake'. In European Spanish and in some variants of Latin American Spanish, it means omelette. A potato omelette is a tortilla de patatas or papas.

Spanish tortilla or tortilla española is basically a Spanish omelette with potatoes and eggs cooked gently in olive oil. This dish is traditionally served at room temperature or cold as a tapa, but it is great for any meal of the day. Leftovers will last in the fridge for a good 3 days!

On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle. In a greased cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook tortillas over medium heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side. Serve warm.

What makes flour tortillas hard is not adding enough lard or oil and water and not kneading the dough for the required amount of time, and NOT allowing the dough to rest in a warm place at least 30 minutes before making flour tortillas.

The Ibili "Indubasic" Spanish Omelette Pan is a high-quality, non-stick pan designed specifically for making delicious Spanish omelettes.

Traditionally, a comal (a flat griddle) is used to cook the formed tortillas, but a cast-iron pan works just as well.

Cast iron grill pan for wraps.

In the Mexican tradition, tortillas are cooked on an earthenware plate called comal, that guarantees a deep cooking and that doesn't need any use of fat. If you don't have comal, you can use a cast iron or an iron plate heated to high temperatures.