Ode to the shrimp omelette
Is he Cadiz gastronomic icon par excellence: there is no one in their right mind who does not step on this earth without trying it. As there is no one who dares to say that he does not like them, Who would be capable of not falling ipso facto surrendered to the exquisite crunch of a shrimp omelette?
And so, while our mouths are watering just by imagining them, we tell you that the origin of this delicacy is much further away than you imagine. tells us lolo picardo , manager of the mythical Venta de Vargas de San Fernando, cradle and origin of this delicatessen and great temple of flamenco —but of that history, which emerges and breaks when you least expect it and that is already part of Cádiz like the Atlantic, the pork rinds or the carnival—, that it was the Italians who brought, in some way, this wonder to the Cadiz coasts. And they did it through farinata.
That, made from chickpea flour, it was seasoned in Cádiz with everything that came along . And if something abounded —and abounds— in San Fernando, with its marshes bathing the territory, it was shrimp. How lucky for you!
Shrimp tortilla from Venta de Vargas
“It was a dish that really served to stave off hunger and they were fat tortillas, very fat” , Lolo tells us. So fat that not only were they satiating, but they left no room in the stomach for anything else . For that very reason, Catalina Perez and Maria Picardo , founders of the Venta de Vargas Cadiz —at that time, Eritanian Sale —, they decided that the usual recipe was not going to be very profitable if they offered it to their diners: they had to take matters into their own hands.
What could be the solution? “They made that momentous change: they made the 20th century tortilla ”, says Lolo. They decided to add also wheat flour to chickpea , make it lighter, use siphon water and fry them creating an authentic bobbin lace”. In other words, the shrimp omelette that we know today, the one that drives us crazy, was invented right there in the 20s . Hey.
SALE OF VARGAS, THE PIONEER
The point is that this reinvention of the omelette was so successful that it immediately became the star dish of the sale . Everyone who passed by, whatever time it was, asked for theirs to rejoice in the infinite pleasure of tasting them. Something that continues to happen today. “As soon as we open the doors at one in the afternoon, they already ask for them. Every day we have to say that: 'you have to wait a moment for the oil to heat up' ”, tells Lolo.
Shrimp tortilla from Venta de Vargas: the pioneer
He couldn't say how many come out of his kitchen every day: hundreds and hundreds. What he does confess to us is that they have a stove and a special pan that they use only to fry them , that those who pass through the kitchen are given a master class to learn how to make them and that the pantry is never lacking in the pantry to prepare them. The flour, by the way. it is made by a miller especially for them : that's one of their secrets!
In addition to the flour and shrimp, the rest of the ingredients are very simple and are often repeated: onion, parsley, water and salt . "The ingredients are not the problem, it is the preparation that is complicated," he says. The oil has to have the ideal temperature, the dough the right consistency and the spoon to pour it must be the right one . Like everything, it has its technique.
Are we talking about perfection? “ The perfect tortilla should be the size of a normal hand, full of lace and have more shrimp than dough . That this at its point of salt, of oil, that is finite and that it be something light to eat”, affirms Lolo. And of course, it's crispy.
That said: mouth waters.
THOSE OTHER SHRIMP TORTILLITTAS IN CÁDIZ
They have drunk almost all the shrimp tortillas from the Venta de Vargas Cadiz classics that can boast of fame in making them . To taste the best, you have to follow the route, stop by stop, through the great gastronomic temples that pay tribute In the south. what a pleasure
We start from its origins so as not to move from the same Saint Ferdinand . It is Lolo himself who tells us about Casa Miguel, where his shrimp tortillas with species of algae are an adaptation to the new times. New products, new flavors, and new proposals: a recipe in continuous evolution that tastes like glory.
Also in San Fernando , another classic where they exist: in the Bar León you have to stop yes or yes. The key to his pancake has already been marked Mary Aguilar, the inventor of this version, who passed the witness to her daughter Gema : not skimping on the amount of shrimp is the key. You just need to see the result to understand it.
"For this tortilla it is worth crossing the Levante", they say from Casa Miguel
But that story that emanated from the Vargas family goes much further: it was precisely Lolo's aunt who taught Gonzalo Cordoba , of the mythical The Lighthouse of Cadiz , to do them back in the 60's . Perhaps that is also why the ones from this restaurant are world famous: for their finesse, for their exact point in that crunch when you bite into them, for not leaving more oil than is just and necessary and because, ultimately, eating them in full neighborhood of La Viña so close to the cove , add points. That's how it is.
His first cousin, El Faro de El Puerto, founded by Fernando Córdoba at the end of the 80s , refused at first to include this classic in his menu. The decision lasted only a few days: immediately the public claimed it, and immediately they joined the kitchen. And thank goodness! Because they also turn out their shrimp tortillas a real party . That yes, they have evolved, and instead of spring onion incorporate sea lettuce . The result? Even more sailor if possible. To suck —literally— your fingers.
Shrimp omelette from Faro de Cádiz
And since in the end it's all about tradition, that which is passed down from generation to generation, another obligatory stop along the way is Ventorrillo el Chato: in the heart of Cortadura beach , occupying what was once an 18th-century post house, is José Manuel Córdoba, son of Gonzalo —yes, the one from the Faro de Cádiz—, who delights every diner who comes to eat with shrimp omelettes learned from his father. it goes through there. The secret of these? They are big, blond and super crunchy.
The shrimp omelette on the Cortadura beach
But we have to go back to Santa Maria Port , that we cannot ignore who takes us to taste one of the most revolutionary versions of the recipe . Yes, you were right: the one that comes from the hand of the also revolutionary chef of the sea. angel lion It was clear from the first day that this gastronomic symbol of Cadiz it had to have the space it deserved in the letter of aponiente and he opted to give it a twist.
Shrimp tortilla from Aponiente
This is how he presents it: as a very fine cracker, almost transparent, made with the usual ingredients , but instead of taking the shrimp mixed in the dough, are added later and after being scalded . To accompany, shrimp powder and a parsley emulsion that give it that unique touch. It could not be otherwise.
Since Sanlucar the great Balbinus House can boast of an unparalleled fame that goes beyond our borders: "the temple of shrimp omelettes", they announce. “It must be for a reason”, we say. We will have to queue to get a little space, no matter if it is standing or sitting, from which to ask for the order and lick our lips with the incredible flavor of its emblematic pieces made at the moment: they say they have served more than a thousand in one day . The size already conquers us, but it is the first bite that makes us assure that we could only feed ourselves with this treasure for a lifetime. Little word!
Casa Balbino, is your mouth already watering?
And the route continues! In Chipiona you have to fall surrendered to those who serve in the shell , small but incomparable, although also before those of Richard House . In The jail , in Bologna, they make them a little more buñueladas —the trick is that they add eggs. The almost transparent House La Titi , in San Fernando, they wear salicornia and they are to die for; those of Little Angel House , in the heart of Cadiz. already in the Gibraltar field , in the El Copo de Palmones Inn , they also serve them as few know how to do them: in their kitchen they cling to the past while maintaining the original lines. How? Making them with chickpea flour only. The newest part they put the seaweed, which replaces the parsley . Again, delicious!
We already know that we can extend the route to infinity: we could go on and on demonstrating, once again, that eating well in Cadiz is the law of life . But what can we say: the serve has a limit.
And the extension of this article, too. But well, come on let's go ask for another.