Potato and Zucchini Spanish Tortilla
By Aran GoyoagaPublished on June 17, 2025
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
It is important to use a nonstick pan so that the tortilla doesn’t stick to the pan. Strain the leftover oil through a fine-mesh strainer and drizzle individual portions with extra oil or reserve it for another use. Avoid large zucchini in this recipe as they tend to be more watery and full of seeds. Serve the tortilla warm or at room temperature.
Instructions
- Heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 small finely chopped onion and cook until just softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick pieces), 8 ounces chopped zucchini, and ¾ teaspoon table salt. Compress vegetables to submerge in oil as much as possible (it’s OK if vegetables aren’t fully submerged; as they cook they will shrink and become submerged). Cook until potatoes and zucchini are very tender and lightly caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (zucchini should be falling apart). Remove from heat.
- Whisk 5 large eggs and remaining ½ teaspoon table salt together in large bowl. Strain vegetable-oil mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over clean bowl. Transfer vegetables to bowl with eggs, stirring to combine, and set strained oil aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon strained oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add egg-vegetable mixture and cook, stirring center to scramble eggs lightly, until edges are set, about 1 minute. Run rubber spatula along edges of pan, then shake skillet gently to loosen tortilla from skillet. Cook for additional 1 to 2 minutes until set but not browned.
- Remove skillet from heat. Run rubber spatula along edges of pan, then shake skillet gently to loosen tortilla from skillet. Place large flat plate over tortilla in skillet and, holding plate with 1 hand and skillet handle with your second hand, invert skillet to transfer tortilla to plate. Slide tortilla back into now-empty skillet, tucking edges of tortilla as needed around perimeter of skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until second side is just set, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently slide tortilla onto serving plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzling with extra strained oil if desired.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Spanish tortillas might be the most beloved and popular dish in Spanish cuisine. They line the counters at tapa and pintxo bars all over Spain. Growing up there, I ate it at every meal, on school field trips, and on after-beach excursions. For purists, Spanish tortilla should only contain four ingredients: olive oil, potatoes, eggs, and salt. I added onion for its sweetness and zucchini for its meltingly tender texture. This recipe aimed to achieve the creamines characteristic of a true Spanish tortilla. To do that, I used lots of olive oil—more than you think you’d need. This large amount of oil poached the potatoes and zucchini and turned them soft and creamy rather than crispy and fried. The vegetables absorb some of the oil, but most of it gets strained and reserved for another use. (It’s great for drizzling over toast, making croutons, or whisking into a vinaigrette.) Cooking the vegetables until tender before combining them with the eggs meant I only needed to cook the tortilla long enough to set the eggs and achieve a light-colored exterior.
Before You Begin
It is important to use a nonstick pan so that the tortilla doesn’t stick to the pan. Strain the leftover oil through a fine-mesh strainer and drizzle individual portions with extra oil or reserve it for another use. Avoid large zucchini in this recipe as they tend to be more watery and full of seeds. Serve the tortilla warm or at room temperature.
Instructions
- Heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 small finely chopped onion and cook until just softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick pieces), 8 ounces chopped zucchini, and ¾ teaspoon table salt. Compress vegetables to submerge in oil as much as possible (it’s OK if vegetables aren’t fully submerged; as they cook they will shrink and become submerged). Cook until potatoes and zucchini are very tender and lightly caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (zucchini should be falling apart). Remove from heat.
- Whisk 5 large eggs and remaining ½ teaspoon table salt together in large bowl. Strain vegetable-oil mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over clean bowl. Transfer vegetables to bowl with eggs, stirring to combine, and set strained oil aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon strained oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add egg-vegetable mixture and cook, stirring center to scramble eggs lightly, until edges are set, about 1 minute. Run rubber spatula along edges of pan, then shake skillet gently to loosen tortilla from skillet. Cook for additional 1 to 2 minutes until set but not browned.
- Remove skillet from heat. Run rubber spatula along edges of pan, then shake skillet gently to loosen tortilla from skillet. Place large flat plate over tortilla in skillet and, holding plate with 1 hand and skillet handle with your second hand, invert skillet to transfer tortilla to plate. Slide tortilla back into now-empty skillet, tucking edges of tortilla as needed around perimeter of skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until second side is just set, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently slide tortilla onto serving plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzling with extra strained oil if desired.
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