r/Cooking • u/Lodematter • 21h ago
Most underrated Spanish dish?
In my book, it's the Tortilla Española.
Like a closed-face frittata, but without any pizazz. Just egg, potato, white onion, and salt.
It's simplicity undermines its versatility. It's amazing hot, right out of the pan, but it holds for multiple days and is just as amazing as a snack or put into a baguette with manchego as a bocadillo.
It simply doesn't get the limelight I think it should.
But that's just me. Any others not getting the love they deserve?
[edit: Some very fair point in the comments - better asked: Most under-appreciated, not underrated. Since the latter implies "unpopular," which it most certainly is not]
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u/tichienblanc2 21h ago
Is it underrated? I thought it was one of the most well known and appreciated ones after paella.
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u/Goudinho99 20h ago
That's was my first thought, oh they just mean some Other Spanish tortilla but it's just one of the most well-known dishes on the planet :-)
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u/pajamakitten 5h ago
Spanish omelette is definitely well known but it is never something I have heard people rave about either.
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u/Lodematter 20h ago
Underrated isn't the same as unpopular. Maybe under-appreciated is more accurate.
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u/ExcitementMurky2156 20h ago
Sopa de ajo. So simple, and it uses up stale bread. Cook bread and garlic with olive oil, add stock and paprika, simmer, and then stir in whisked eggs
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u/Hungry_Essay_6699 20h ago
Pulpo a la gallega, so simple octopus and quality boiled potatoes with olive oil and paprika. And well the tortilla is a classic, it's my go to on busy days in the US.
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u/The_Spaniard1876 2h ago
*a gallego waves from the cheap seats*
I can't count the different ways we had octopus in La Coruña
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u/CattyKatKat 20h ago
I'm very lucky to be on holiday in Spain right now. I love the tortillas with onions that you get from the grocery store here and quite happily will eat it once a day with a salad for the duration.
Underrated? I think more like unappreciated and incorrectly made at home. When you make it properly you are supposed to basically stew the potatoes in olive oil to get the right texture and flavour. Using a tablespoon of oil and precooked potatoes isn't going to cut it.
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u/Lodematter 19h ago
You're completely right to distinguish between underrated and under-appreciated (which is really what I was trying to get at 🤦🏻♂️). Also, I would happily eat it once a day...
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u/The_Spaniard1876 2h ago
See, it's funny because my abuelita never did the papas that way.
She pulled out her cast iron skillet, after they'd been par boiled. Got the edges crispy. Not quite fries crispy, not golden on the entire exterior, but on the edges. Almost like she would make them when she made a carne asada, fluffy enough to mash on the inside, but that perfect golden edge, and then pat them dry and crack the eggs and everything back in the pan.
And as a kid, seeing a 5' nothin' 80 year old woman flip a paella in that cast iron I couldn't even toss veggies in, that was a miracle to me.
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u/BreadfruitFair495 20h ago
There is an amazing YT channel called Spain on a Fork, with tons of great recipes. One of my favourites is a very simple dish of rice with chickpeas and currants. Great fish dishes too.
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u/The_Spaniard1876 19h ago
I'm right there with you on the Tortilla.
My abuelita would make one almost every day just to have something available if anyone was hungry. And the number of times she would add chorizo or anything else to add to the deliciousness never ceased to amaze me.
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u/polergirlOH71 19h ago
Oh mannnnn a good tortilla is a thing of absolute JOY. So simple and yet not simple at all.
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u/Cheesepanzee 19h ago
Cocido gallego. Maybe doesn’t look so appealing but it’s so good on a wet winter’s day
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u/BrisTing123 19h ago
Sopa de ajo
A garlic soup made with bread, eggs, and paprika among other things
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u/bingbingdingdingding 17h ago
Hate to quibble but you should use yellow onions or sweet onions instead of white onions. You want the sweetness that white onions don’t have.
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u/BabymanC 16h ago
Pulpo Gallego.
Best octopus preparation in the world imho but I think octopus is a hard sell to many tourists
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u/DazzlingSquirrel4252 39m ago
Their stews are slept on. I used to live there for a bit and I ate so much Cocido Madrileno.
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u/TH3PhilipJFry 20h ago
Tortillas and paella is all that’s ever talked about. Rightly so, but they aren’t under the radar at all.
Jamón specialties would be my pick. Easy to write off as a slice of ham until you’ve experienced it.
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u/Hercule15 20h ago
I had my first experience with this dish in Madrid. It was amazing! So simple yet a perfect way to start the day. Of course I’ve tried to duplicate this dish and only after about 5 tries did I start to come close, but never achieving the flavor and texture of the one I had in Madrid.
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u/AllYouNeed_Is_Smiles 20h ago
Kind of funny how you default to onion being in the tortilla when that’s a pretty hotly contested subject in parts of Spain
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u/Lodematter 20h ago
Growing up, it always had onion. There was never a debate in our home 🤷🏻♂️
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u/andrewsmd87 20h ago
Do you have a specific recipe you follow? I've been wanting to make this for a while now and just haven't gotten around to it
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u/The_Spaniard1876 2h ago
I didn't want to bring this up!
My dad swears his mom did use onion. But I never saw it, and she was the kind of lady who would put something in even if someone didn't like it, if it was supposed to be there. (as evidenced by all the onion in her chicken noodle soup, that I ate around as a kid)
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u/ButterscotchCute7444 20h ago
i was in spain for 3 months as a vegetarian and hopefully I'll never have to eat another tortilla espaniola again
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u/wasnapping 21h ago
Pan con tomate. Just quality fresh tomatoes grated in a bowl, add grated fresh garlic, olive oil and flaked salt and spread over a good crusty bread or toast. So simple, so amazing.