Spanish Omelette (Spanish Tortilla) Recipe

Finally tried making a Spanish Omelette! I remember that when we in Spain, we loved having these for breakfast or for a snack. But... the omelettes that we had were usually cold so I decided on this sunny Sunday afternoon, to try my hand at one!

After looking at multiple recipes, I find that there was too much olive oil used so I greatly reduced it and yay, it works! I still managed to get nice crispy onions and potatoes!

Plus, Spanish tortillas are really easy to make, and you can get them done in about 30 minutes (or less!). With just 3 pantry staples - potatoes, onions, and eggs - it is time to get cooking!

In this post, I’ve created lunch with a side of mushrooms and cherry tomatoes as well as freshly blended watermelon juice. So I’ll guide you how to create this fuss-free lunch.

This feeds a family of two, so just double or triple the portion as you deem fit!

Ingredients needed for Spanish Omelette

- 2 medium-sized potatoes

- 1 onion (I’ve used half a leftover onion but felt that it was too little)

- 3 eggs

- extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper

- a pinch of fresh basil and thyme (or any other herbs of your choice)

For spanish omelette, good olive oil is a MUST because the onions and potatoes will absorb all that flavourful fat! Because this recipe only uses that little ingredients, you want your ingredients to be of high quality.

As to how much olive oil to use, I would say, just sufficient to cover the entire pan for a shallow fry. This helps create a nice crust, without feeling like you’re consuming too much oil!

Also, fresh herbs do taste better in my honest opinion, but I do know how dried ones are more convenient so you could use them too!

Ingredients for the Mushroom and Cherry Tomatoes sides

- 5 button mushrooms

- 3 cherry tomatoes

- 1 glove of garlic (not pictured cos I forgot till I started cooking!)

- olive oil or butter

- salt and pepper

- a pinch of fresh or dried herbs

Now that we got the ingredients out of the way, follow me for a step-by-step guide, and I’ll repeat the steps again as a summary at the end of this blog post.

1. Slice up all your ingredients!

- Slice the potatoes and onions thinly so that it cooks quickly in the pan

- Cut up the mushrooms in quarters

- Cut up the tomatoes in halves

- Dice the basil / herbs

- Mince the garlic

2. Add olive oil into the pan

There’s no guidelines here just ensure that your entire pan is covered with olive oil for a shallow fry. So for those using smaller pans, you’ll probably use less olive oil.

3. Add the onions and potatoes into the pan, fry on medium heat

For this step, it is crucial that you add the onions first! That‘s because if you add the potatoes at the bottom, your onions won’t be able to get the nice caramelisation it needs. It will just be shrivelled up at the top.

Also, try not to shift things around too often. Just flip once every 3-4 minutes. The total cooking time will be approximately 7 - 10 minutes depending on the diameter of your pan.

So how do you know when your potatoes and onions are done? You should get something like what’s pictured above. For those who want a crunchier and more charred flavour, cook it longer.

4. Crack eggs into a large bowl

While waiting for the potatoes to cook, this is where you can start your eggs going. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper, and add the herbs at this stage. Mix well. Then it’s just waiting for the potatoes to be almost done.

5. Drain fried potatoes and onions, add them into the cracked eggs

Here, you don’t want an oily omelette so even though we have already reduced the amount of oil for frying, you can further drain the oil but pressing the onions and potatoes against a slotted spoon. I didn’t use a slotted spoon but gently pressed it against my wooden spoon (this also works!)

For those who worry about the oil, what you can also do is to place the potatoes and onions onto a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

6. Let the egg mixture sit for 10 minutes

This is another important step to allow the potatoes and onions to soak up all the flavours of the eggs. This also makes the mixture less runny and evenly coat the potatoes.

Prepare the side dish

7. Fry garlic in low heat

Using some of the leftover oil, I fry up the clove of minced garlic in low heat. Low heat brings out the garlicky goodness more and it infuses the oil. Once you smell the nice aroma, place your mushrooms in and turn up the heat to medium.

8. Add mushrooms, and then the cherry tomatoes

The mushrooms will take a while to cook as it soaks up the oil. Once it has that glossy texture and shrunk quite a bit, you can start seasoning it with salt, pepper, and herbs. Once you start to notice the colour changes, you can then add the cherry tomatoes as the last step.

Let’s head back to the spanish tortilla now!

7. Add the egg mixture into a shallow pan

Ensure that you have a thin layer of oil, heat up the pan to high heat, and then add in your egg mixture. Move the potatoes and onions around so that it is evenly spread out on the pan. Then its time to wait. Cook the omelette on high heat for 1 minute, then turn it down to medium and cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes.

As to how you’ll know it is ready? You can take a peek using your wooden spoon. The egg should not stick on the pan and can easily move around, it should also look golden brown.

8. Use a plate to flip the omelette

Now, it is time to flip the omelette! I couldn’t video this portion but what I did was to invert the omelette onto a plate and then slide it back into the pan.

We are almost done! At this stage, you can also go to-and-fro flipping the omelette if you think the colour’s not golden brown enough.

When everything’s done, slide it onto the plate and then top it out with some of the remaining herbs. Divide it into 6 or 8 slices.

Because we only made enough for 2, the Spanish isn’t as THICC as the ones in Spain, but it still did fill us up!

You can also try including other ingredients once you’ve got the basics right!

9. Finally, make the juice

I already had some sliced watermelon in the fridge so all I had to do was to blend / juice it.

And TADAH! That’s our quick lunch!

And as promise, here‘s a quick summary for the steps to make the Spanish Omelette. I’ve omitted the steps for the sides for your convenience!

Summarised Spanish Omelette Recipe

1. Slice potatoes and onions thinly

2. Add olive oil into the pan

3. Add onions first, and then potatoes, fry on medium heat

4. Crack eggs into a large bowl and season it

5. Drain fried potatoes and onions, add them into the seasoned eggs

6. Let egg mixture sit for 10 minutes

7. Pour egg mixture into an oiled pan, fry on high heat for 1 minute, and then turn it down to medium for the next 2 - 3 minutes

8. Flip the omelette, and do the same as in point 7.

9. Serve, slice, and plate it!

Like this recipe? Comment down below or tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you’ve tried it out!