Author Notes
Tortillitas are tiny Spanish pancakes featuring shrimp, scallion and herbs. You can find a recipe for the “basic version” in Mark Bittman’s New York Times article “Simplicity From Spain: Tiny Seafood Pancakes”, while Paula Wolfert offers the more adventurous “Los Remos’s Shrimp and Seaweed Fritters” in her book “The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen". The flavors in this recipe are somewhat bolder than in traditional tortillitas, and there is definitely more than a touch of heat. Those who are not fans of hot peppers can adjust the flavors accordingly. You can also use only the chickpea flour, which contains no gluten -- it will produce crispier and more fragile tortillitas. —QueenSashy
Ingredients
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8 ounces
shrimp, shelled and cleaned
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7
scallions
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4
garlic cloves
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1/2
habanero pepper, seeds removed
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1
jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
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1/2 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
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1 cup
chickpea flour
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1 cup
all purpose flour
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Juice of two limes, plus another two limes for serving
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Finely grated zest of one lime
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1/2 teaspoon
parsley, finely chopped
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1 cup
mango juice
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1 tablespoon
mayonnaise
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1 tablespoon
sour cream
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1/4 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
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Oil for frying
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Salt
Directions
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Put the shrimp in a food processor, add the scallion, garlic, habanero, jalapeno, lime zest and salt, and pure. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon of the lime juice, and add the rest to the shrimp mixture. Add both flours, about four cups of water, and parsley, and process until combined in a thin batter. Pour the batter into a bowl and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.
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In the meantime, pour the mango juice into a small skillet or saucepan, and bring to boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer until the juice is very thick and reduced to about 1 ½ tablespoons. Let it cool completely.
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In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, reserved lime juice and mango reduction. Mix well and leave in the refrigerator.
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About an hour before frying, let the batter come to room temperature. The batter should be very thin -- to check if it is the right consistency, lift a spoonful; it should fall back into the bowl in a steady stream. If the batter is too tick, add more water.
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In a frying pan heat the oil. Drop a heaping tablespoon of the batter into oil and fry until dark golden and very crisp, turning once. Place the fritters on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
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Serve right away with the mango mayonnaise and lime wedges.
Aleksandra aka QueenSashy is a scientist by day, and cook, photographer and doodler by night. When she is not writing code and formulas, she blogs about food, life and everything in between on her blog, Three Little Halves. Three Little Halves was nominated for 2015 James Beard Awards and the finalist for 2014 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Aleksandra lives in New York City with her other two halves, Miss Pain and Dr. V.
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