Spanish omelette

(Tortilla española o de patatas)

Finished omelette (and my dog smelling the food!)

I’ve seen many omelettes shared on this and other social media platforms, but none of them seem to be close to the true recipe that I have enjoyed since I was a child when I lived in Spain. In this post, I share with you the recipe my mum used (with some of my own modifications). Before we had a microwave oven, we used to deep fry the vegetables, but I believe this version is a much healthier one.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pepper (I used a green bell pepper)
• 1 large onion
• potatoes (enough to make up to 700grams when you include the pepper and the onion)
• 6 medium eggs

Appliances and utensils

• Microwave oven (I used one that cooks at 800w, but any regular microwave oven should work)
• Hob cooker (preferably a gas one, but if like me, you only have an induction one that is fine too)
• Measuring jug (Should allow at least 1L volume)
• Non-stick pan (I used a 24cm one), a pan cover, and a plate large enough to cover the pan
• Large bowl (microwave-safe)
• Flat wooden/plastic spatula

How to

1. Finely slice the onion and the pepper.
2. Peel and finely slice the potatoes.
3. Put them together in a bowl, add the olive oil, and mix it all well.

4. Put in the microwave oven for 15 minutes at 800w. Once removed from the microwave oven, check that the potatoes, onion, and pepper are soft (You should be able to cut through the potatoes with a butter knife with no or almost no resistance).

5. In the measuring job, add the eggs and beat them until the texture is more or less uniform.

6. Use a fork to add the vegetables to the eggs and mix everything together. The omelette mixture would start to thicken already as the veg would still be hot causing the egg proteins to denature.

7. On the non-stick pan, pour a little olive oil and use kitchen paper towel to grease the inside of the pan up to its edges. Then put the pan on high heat.

8. Once the oil gets hot (this is an important step, it must be as hot as possible, otherwise the omelette will stick to the pan), empty the contents of the jug on it. Use the fork to make sure all of the jug’s contents are emptied to the pan, and to spread the mixture evenly.

9. Reduce the heat immediately to the lowest possible setting that allows just a gentle simmering on the edge of the omelette.

10. In about 8 minutes, you’ll see how the edge of the omelette becomes round. Use a flat wooden/plastic spatula to gently lift the sides of the omelette from the pan by gently wedging it between the pan and the omelette. This is to allow turning the omelette easily without getting stuck to the pan, so we can cook it on the other side.

11. In order to flip/turn the omelette, I use a plate on top of the pan and flip it around, then gently slide the omelette back into the pan. Sometimes, a bit of egg, pepper and onion might be left on the plate after the transfer. Don’t worry about it.

12. It will take another 8 minutes or so at the lowest heat setting. About a couple of minutes in, gently shake the pan to allow the omelette to slide through the bottom of the pan. This is again to prevent it from sticking.

13. When this is done, cover the pan, and switch the heating off. Let it rest like this for about 1 hour.

14. Once the cover is no longer too hot (about 1 hour), remove the cover from the pan, and slide the omelette on a flat plate. It can be eaten straight away, or wait until it's cold. It will last a few days in the fridge so you can use a bit of it every day as a side for a main meal, a snack, lunch, etc.

I know there are several variations of it, but this is the closest to my mum’s recipe, and similar to what you would find in Andalucía (South Spain region). Let me know what you think, or comment with any questions, suggestions, etc.