Tortillitas de camarones

Cádiz, Andalusia

The shrimp fritters of Cádiz — the thinnest, laciest, most impossibly crisp fried food in Spain. A batter of chickpea flour, wheat flour, and very cold sparkling water barely coats tiny live camarones (baby shrimp or small raw prawns) and is dropped in spoons into very hot olive oil. The result should be almost transparent in places, lacy at the edges, with the shrimp clearly visible through the batter. The key is the opposite of most frying technique: maximum water content in the batter, maximum heat in the oil, maximum speed. The batter does not cook through — it crisps at the edges while the interior barely sets. These are among the most technically demanding of all tapas.

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