My first Seafood Pancake with shrimp,  It’s a bit thick but still tasted really good.

I almost didn’t get a photo of my seafood pancakes.  That’s because everyone kept gobbling these special pancakes, as fast as I made them.  They wouldn’t give me a chance to take a photo. 

Thankfully, I was able to save one, in the end and take my photo.  Whew!

My friend Nancy in Madrid saw this tortillita recipe by Mark Bittman in the Times and sent it to me.  She thought I’d be interested in this recipe originally from Andalusia.  She was right.  I liked this no-egg pancake made from a mixture of chickpea flour, white flour, herbs,  and seafood.  Not only did I like the simple ingredients, I liked the fact that I could prepare this meal quickly.

This was my first time to use chickpea flour.  I’d never heard about this type of flour before.  See how I learn something new on my cooking adventures?  I love it!  Initially, I couldn’t find chickpea flour and then Dan of Salt Shaker gave me a tip.  Thanks, Dan.  The recipe calls for half chickpea flour and half white flour.  However, according to Bittman, you can use chickpea alone, which will make the pancake gluten-free, crisper and more flavorful.

You can use any kind of seafood.  I chose to stick with the recipe and used shrimps.   You also have wide choice of herbs to use in this pancake.  I love cilantro, so that’s what I used.

I ended up making this seafood pancake more than once during the week.  The first time I made the tortillita, it was too thick, although it tasted very good and turned out the way Bittman described — "crisp on the outside but still moist inside."  Delicious!  However, I wanted to get it as perfect as possible.  So, the second time I tried this recipe, I added a little more water to get a thinner pancake batter.  I didn’t have shrimps on hand, so I used smoked salmon and included more herbs — chives, parsley and cilantro.  Again, I enjoyed my seafood pancake.

Thanks, Nancy for sending me the recipe.

Besos desde New York,

Paz

Ed. Note:  By the way, Dan has another seafood pancake recipe on his blog.   It’s made completely with regular flour, mussels, shrimps, and cockles.  He prepares his pancakes on the stove and finishes it off in the broiler.   Check it out here!

The second time I made seafood pancakes, they came out much thinner, the way I believe they’re supposed to be.

 Seafood Pancakes (Tortillitas)

Mark Bittman

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped onion or scallions

About 1/2 cup raw shrimp, chopped, or scallops or other shellfish or fish

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives, parsley, thyme or cilantro

Olive oil.

1. In a bowl, combine flours and baking powder with salt and pepper. Add a little more than a cup of water and stir to combine; consistency should resemble pancake batter (if batter is too thick, add more water, a little at a time). Stir in the onions, chopped seafood and herbs.

2. Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and film its bottom generously with olive oil. When oil is hot, pour in half the batter until it fills center of pan; spread gently with a spoon to form a large pancake.

3. Cook about 3 minutes, or until pancake is set around edges; flip pancake and continue cooking for another 3 minutes, then flip it again and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until it is crisp on outside but still moist inside. Remove from pan and serve immediately, while remaining batter cooks.