Tortillitas de Camarones

Tortillitas de camarones are Andaluz, and more exactly from Cádiz, where the little camarones from the salt marshes go whole into a thin batter of chickpea flour, wheat flour, onion, parsley, water, and salt. No egg. No thick pancake. The proper one is almost lace, crisp at the edges and tender only in the very middle.

The method that decides it is the batter's thinness and the heat of the oil. If the batter is thick, you get a heavy fritter. If the oil is timid, it drinks grease before it crisps. Spoon a shallow puddle into properly hot oil and let it spread; the edges will frill, the shrimp will pink, and the whole thing turns golden before it has time to become doughy.

If you can't find camarones where you are, use the smallest raw shrimp you can buy and chop them small, no bigger than a lentil. It won't have quite the same briny shell-crisp bite, but it will still give you the taste of the dish. No hace falta haber pisado España. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and keep the batter loose. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.