Carrageenan Free Spanish Tortilla Española
Few dishes are as satisfying as a thick, golden wedge of this classic Spanish egg and potato cake — creamy in the center, just set at the edges, and deeply savory from a long, slow cook in good olive oil. The beauty here is in the simplicity: Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet yellow onion, eggs, and a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil are all you need to pull this off. For anyone navigating ingredient labels and additive concerns, this recipe is a breath of fresh air — every single component is a whole, unprocessed food with nothing hidden inside. Carrageenan, a thickener and stabilizer that sneaks into everything from deli products to dairy alternatives, has no business here because there are no processed ingredients to hide it in. The potatoes are cooked low and slow until they're meltingly tender, then folded into beaten eggs and returned to the pan for that iconic custardy texture. The flip is the only moment that requires a little nerve, but once you nail it, you'll feel like a proper Spanish home cook. Serve it warm, at room temperature, or even cold the next day — it genuinely gets better as it sits.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add the potato slices and onion, season with ½ tsp of the salt, and stir gently to coat. Cook, turning the potatoes occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the potatoes are completely tender and yield easily when pressed with the back of a spoon, about 20–25 minutes. They should be soft but not browned.
- 2
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes and onion to a large mixing bowl, leaving as much oil behind in the skillet as possible. Reserve 2 tbsp of the cooking oil in the skillet and discard the rest (or save for another use).
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