Spanish Chickpea Fritters with Canned Chickpeas

These Spanish-Style Chickpea Fritters, known as Tortillitas de Garbanzos, have a light crispy texture on the outside with an incredible depth of flavors in the inside, they’re made with basic pantry staples and all done in under 30 minutes. Serve them as a tapas appetizer or even as a main course. Next to some roasted potatoes and a garden salad.

To make these fritters, I used canned chickpeas. Which most of us almost always have on hand. You can also use dried chickpeas if you like. Just soak them in plenty of water overnight and then simmer the following day for 1 to 2 hours or until tender.

I served the fritters next to a very simple yet delicious aioli. Which truly takes this dish to the next-level. I used a mortar & pestle to make the aioli. But you can also use a food processor, hand blender or even a nutribullet.

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: You can make the batter ahead of time and add it to the fridge or freezer. It will hold for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. If you see your batter is too thick, just add in some more liquid.

For the saffron in this recipe, choose whole threads from Golden Saffron so you can measure the amount called for.

Drain the chickpeas well so extra liquid does not loosen the fritter mixture. If you prefer to leave the chickpeas whole, make chickpea and spinach skillet.

How to Make Spanish Chickpea Fritters with Canned Chickpeas

1. Add the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the middle, crack in the egg and whisk the egg, then add in the beer and whisk everything together until you a creamy batter.
2. Add in the shallot finely chopped, finely grate in the garlic, add in the chopped parsley, sweet smoked Spanish paprika, ground cumin and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together until well mixed
3. Drain the can of chickpeas into a colander and rinse under water, then shake off any excess water, transfer the chickpeas into a bowl and using a potato masher or large fork, mash down on the chickpeas until they're semi-mashed
4. Add the mashed chickpeas into the bowl with batter and mix together
5. Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
6. After a couple of minutes start adding in spoonfuls of the batter, all in a single layer and evenly spaced out, cook in batches, fry for 3 minutes per side or until golden fried, transfer into a dish with paper towels as you finish
7. To make the aioli, add in the cloves garlic roughly chopped into a mortar, along with the saffron and a pinch of sea salt, using a pestle pound down on the ingredients until you get a paste-like texture, then add in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and season with a kiss of sea salt & black pepper, whisk together until you get a creamy sauce
8. Transfer the aioli into a serving dish and decorate the fritters around it, serve warm or at room temperature, enjoy!

Make the fritters similar in size for even browning. Serve with the saffron yogurt dip for spinach flatbread for a cool, tangy contrast.