What I can only describe as oil-poached shrimp

I was kind of going for a tapas theme last night and I needed something to go with my tortilla espanola (see previous post) so I decided to try a super-simple shrimp dish.

Defrost enough shrimp to pack into a cast-iron skillet in one layer. Then pat them dry.


Mince about 3 cloves of garlic and add them to about a quarter-inch of olive oil in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. If you don't have one, use a smallish round vessel that can go in the oven. A pie-tin might even work. Throw the garlic and oil in a 400 degree oven until the oil is hot and the garlic is dancing around in it.


Take the pan out and arrange the shrimp in the oil. Add a pinch of salt and some crushed red pepper flakes.


Throw the pan back in the oven and cook until the critters are done, flipping them once halfway through cooking. It should only take about 5 minutes, but your mileage may vary. When the shrimps are completely pink and curled loosely (if they are tightly curled up, they may be overdone) they are perfect.


Serve straight from the skillet but use a trivet because the pan will stay hot for quite a while.

Tortilla Espanola

Tortilla Espanola (or Tortilla de Patata) is a spanish egg and potato dish. It is delicious and has 3 ingredients, not including salt and pepper. The cooking technique itself can be a bit tricky, and i have yet to perfect it, but even if it doesn't turn out perfectly, it's still delicious.

Peel 3 potatoes. Quarter them lengthwise then slice very thinly, as if you were to make potato chips (which essentially you are. Just wait!). Rinse them well in cold water. I like to use a salad spinner for this because you want to dry them well too. Rinsing off the starch will allow them to be crispier when fried.


Heat an inch or two of oil in a pan. Cast iron works well because it retains heat. I used grapeseed oil, but any oil with a high smoke point (peanut, vegetable, NOT olive) works. Fry the potatoes in small batches. The oil should bubble furiously when the potatoes are added.


When the potatoes are golden brown and delicious, remove them from the oil to a paper-towel-lined plate


While the potatoes are cooking, crack 8 eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat them. Add a generous pinch of salt and some black pepper.


Add the warm potatoes to the egg mixture and mix well.


Heat a good amount of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium/medium-high heat. It's convenient to just pour some of your potato-frying oil in the skillet if there are no burnt pieces in it. I used about a 10-inch skillet.


When the pan is hot, add the eggs and potatoes. The edges should start to set right away.


When all of the tortilla except the center is set, it's time to flip. Do this by placing a lid that is smaller than the skillet directly on top of the tortilla. Pour off the raw egg and oil into a plate.


Then flip the tortilla onto the lid and slide it back onto the skillet.


Made a well in the center of the tortilla and pour back in the liquid.


Allow to set for another minute or so then move to a serving plate. Unfortunately, I browned the first side a bit, but i think a slightly lower temperature would fix that for next time.


This tortilla espanola serves 4.