1. Spanish Omelette Recipe: Catalan Style
monkeysandmountains.com /spanish-omelette-recipe-catalan-style
Laurel
You can’t go t o Spain and not eat a Spanish Omelet t e (Tortilla Española)!
This simple dish is one of the most popular in all of Spain and also one of my personal favorites. Next to Jamón (ham)
of course. Nothings compares to Spanish Jamón. Well except for the cheese – that’s a close second. But I digress…
Spanish omelettes can be found on tapas menu, served as an appetiz er, or as a light dinner. Everytime I stay at my
friend Isabel’s house in Barcelona, she prepares this tasty dish – Catalan style. You may be wondering what the
difference is between Tortilla Española Catalan style and Madrid style. It all comes down to the onions. The dish is
prepared with onions in Catalan style and only with potatoes in Madrid style. I definitely prefer the Catalan style. I have
after all attended a Calcotada (traditional green onion eating event)! And I do the know the secret to a Perfect Paella learned from another Catalan chef! Cat alans def init ely know what t hey’re t alking about when it comes t o
f ood!
There are
lots of
different
variations of
a Spanish
Omelette
and I had the
pleasure of
making one
myself under
the skilled
guidance of
Chef Rais at
O u r g r o u p o f b l o g g e r s i n o u r S p a n i s h co o ki n g wo r ks h o p a t b cn Ki tch e n
bcnKITCHEN, which offers market visits and either Spanish cooking or Spanish tapas workshops in English (more
options are available in Spanish).
Here is Rais’ Spanish Omelette

2. Here is Rais’ Spanish Omelette
Recipe:
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25
minutes Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8- 10 servings as an appetiz er.
Serves 5- 6 as a main course.
Ingredient s:
• 6- 7 medium potatoes, peeled • 2 whole
yellow onions (we used a sweeter catalan
variety) • 5- 6 large eggs
Preparat ion:
Peel the potatoes and cut them in half
lengthwise. Then, with the flat side on the
cutting surface, cut again half lengthwise. Join
the two halves and slice finely the potato.
Make sure to separate the pieces that stick
together. It is not necessary to slice the
potatoes paper thin, and it is best not to use a
food processor . If you slice them a bit thick, it
will simply take a bit longer for them to cook.
Peel and chop the onion into halves and slice
them finely (Julienne cut).
Deep- fry the potatoes into preheated frying oil
(medium heat), until they are soft and golden.
If the oil is too hot, the potatoes will brown
rapidly on the outside, but still be raw on the
inside. You’ll they’re done if you can poke a
piece of potato with a spatula and it easily
breaks in two. Drain the oil excess, putting a
bowl below to get the oil and be able to reuse
it when frying again.
Me s h o wi n g o ff m y n e w-fo u n d p e p p e r cu tti n g s ki l l s . No t fo r th e to r ti l l a , b u t fo r
a n o th e r d i s h we we r e m a ki n g . I j u s t co u l d n ’t r e s i s t s h o wi n g o ff.
In a large pan, carmeliz e the onion in around
2 Tbsp oil. Remember not to add salt until the
onion starts to carameliz e, otherwise it would let all the water from the onions out.
Break the eggs and whisk them. Add in onions and potatoes, mix with a wooden spoon or spatula and add a pinch of
salt to the mixture.
Take a round, non- stick pan. Coat it with oil (just a stream) and heat on medium- high heat, so the tortilla doesn’t burn
before being done.
Stir in a portion of the tortilla mixture and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook (you can crumble in the beginning so
all the egg gets cooked), and when you see that the omelette it’s set in the edges and in the bottom, take the frying pan
over the sink, and place a large plate (larger than the pan!), upside down over the pan.
With your stronger arm (depending, right- handed or left- handed) take the pan, quickly turn it over and hold the plate so
the omelette falls onto it safely. Go back again to the stove and carefully slide the omelette from the dish to the pan,
cooking the other side of the tortilla. Use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelette in round shape. Let it cook for 34 minutes.

3. Carefully slide the omelette onto the serving plate. To serve as a main course, slice it into 6- 8 pieces like a pie. Serve
sliced French bread on the side (remember to make pa amb tomàq uet if if you find any really ripe tomatoes!), simply
rubbing the bread slices with tomato and coating them with extra virgin olive oil.
If you are serving our tortilla as an appetiz er, slice a baguette into pieces about 1⁄2 inch thick. (rub them for pa amb
tomàq uet if you want), cut the tortilla into 1.5” squares and place a piece on top of each slice of bread.
Th e s te p s to m a ki n g a S p a n i s h o m e l e tte . Fl i p p i n g i t o n to th e p l a te i s th e m o s t d i ffi cu l t p a r t, b u t e ve n I m a n a g e d i t.
Chef Rais’ Tip! The recipe above is for the Catalan way, but you can try the Madrid way (only potatoes). If you’re
feeling innovative, you can add in cream cheese, grated cheese, choriz o, sobrassada (the paprika and pork sausage
with a creamy texture) diced olives, fresh herbs (parsley, oregano or basil work really well!), and even spices (try curry
if you’re feeling extra brave)

4. Can’t get enough of Cat alan cuisine? Then find out How to Eat Like a Local in Barcelona, or go fancy shmancy at
Les Magnoles, where I enjoyed a 17 course (yes you read that right) meal, or check out my friend Tony’s Ten Ways to
Experience Catalan Cuisine.
Book your own Market Visit and Spanish Cooking Workshop in Barcelona at bcnKITCHEN. It’s a 4 hour
workshop, and you’ll learn how to make a four course Catalan meal. Cost is €65 per person including lunch. You can
book online here.
Thank you to Catalonia Tourism for making my visit possible. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
About Laurel
Laurel Robbins is a free- spirited adventurer, award- winning travel blogger at Monkeys and Mountains
Adventure Travel Blog. Many hats, one travel obsessed Canadian in Germany.