Tortilla española
In Spain tortilla is everywhere: at breakfast with coffee, as a tapa in bars, in a sandwich on picnics. It is potatoes and onion slowly poached in olive oil, then combined with eggs and cooked into a thick golden tortilla that is flipped on a plate. The potatoes should be soft rather than crisp, and the centre — the way many Spaniards like it — slightly moist, “jugosa”. Spaniards have long argued over whether to add onion; this version has it, for sweetness.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Slicing 15 min
- Poaching in olive oil 25 min
- Resting in the eggs 15 min
- Cooking and flipping 10 min
- Resting 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneSlice potatoes and onion
Peel the potatoes, quarter them lengthwise and slice thinly, about 3 mm. Slice the onion into thin half-moons. Sprinkle with most of the salt and mix.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Poach in olive oil
Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep 24 cm frying pan (you will use the same pan for the tortilla). Add the potatoes and onion — the oil should come at least halfway up the layer, and as they cook the potatoes will settle and end up almost submerged. Cook 20–25 minutes, gently stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes are soft. The oil should bubble calmly — the potatoes should break under a spoon but not brown.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Poached, not fried — soft and pale.Drain the oil
Tip the potatoes into a sieve over a bowl to drain the oil. Keep it — it will do for your next tortilla or for frying.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Combine with the eggs
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the rest of the salt. Stir in the hot potatoes, crushing them slightly, and leave 15 minutes. The potatoes soak up the egg and the tortilla holds together.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Fifteen minutes in the eggs — the tortilla will not fall apart.Cook the first side
Heat 2 tablespoons of the drained oil in the pan. Pour in the mixture, level it and cook over medium-low heat 5–6 minutes, shaking the pan so it does not stick. Tuck in the edges with a spatula to round them.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Flip the tortilla
Cover the pan with a large flat plate, flip the tortilla onto it in one quick movement, then slide it back into the pan raw side down.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
One decisive move — plate and pan together.Cook the second side
Cook 2–3 minutes for a moist centre or 5–6 minutes for a set one. A “jugosa” centre contains not fully set egg — for children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with weakened immunity cook the tortilla longer, until the centre is fully set.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Rest and cut
Slide the tortilla onto a plate and rest 5 minutes. Cut into wedges or cubes. Serve warm or at room temperature (no more than 2 hours out of the fridge), with bread.
Ingredients: 750 g potatoes · 1 pcs large onion · 400 ml olive oil for poaching (most is left over) · 6 pcs eggs · 1½ tsp salt
Before you start
Which potatoes
All-purpose or slightly floury potatoes are best — they absorb the egg. Very waxy varieties stay firm and do not bind.
The oil
Most of the oil does not end up in the tortilla — it is drained off and can be reused. The nutrition values count only the absorbed part.
Storage
A tortilla set in the centre keeps up to 2 days in the fridge; eat a “jugosa” one straight away. In Spain it is often eaten cold, in a baguette sandwich (bocadillo de tortilla).
