Chef Isabel
Acedías Fritas de Cádiz
Acedías fritas belong to Cádiz: tiny wedge sole, salted, dusted in frying flour, and dropped into very hot olive oil so the rims crisp while the fish stays tender.
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Oreja Frita Madrileña
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Oreja frita Madrileña is all texture: pig ear simmered until tender, dried well, then fried hard with garlic and pimentón so the edges crisp and the gelatin stays soft.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Comfort Food
Game Day
Budget Friendly
20 min
Active Time
2 hr 10 min cook•3 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings as a tapa
Oreja frita Madrileña belongs to Madrid's old casquería cooking, the plain, clever use of the parts of the pig that a good kitchen never wasted. It is not delicate food, and it shouldn't pretend to be. The ear is simmered tender first, then cut small and fried until the outside crackles a little while the inside stays sticky and soft. That contrast is the dish.
The method that decides it is the pause between boiling and frying. Cook the ear until a knife slips through the thick base, then cool it, dry it, and let the surface firm before it touches hot oil. If you fry it wet, it spits and stews. If you dry it properly, the edges catch, the garlic perfumes the oil, and the pimentón stains everything brick red. Pésalo, no lo adivines, especially with the salt and pimentón.
If you are far from Madrid, no hace falta haber pisado España. Ask a butcher for cleaned pig ears, or use frozen ones from an Asian or Latin market; they work well, and often better than sad fresh ones sitting too long in a case. If the ears are already cooked, shorten the simmer and concentrate on drying them well. Siempre sale, si lo sigues. Serve it hot, with bread, lemon if you like, and no fuss.
Oreja frita and oreja a la plancha sit in Madrid's casquería tradition, the offal cooking tied to market stalls, taverns, and the household habit of using the whole pig. The ear's appeal is its cartilage and gelatin, which made an inexpensive cut into a tapa with real bite and body. In Madrid it is commonly finished on a hot plancha or in a frying pan with garlic, pimentón, and sometimes a sharp splash of vinegar or lemon to cut the richness.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cleaned pig ears
Quantity
2, about 700g total
onion
Quantity
1 small
peeled and halved
carrot
Quantity
1
scrubbed and halved
bay leaf
Quantity
1
black peppercorns
Quantity
6
coarse salt
Quantity
10g, plus more to finish
olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
thinly sliced
sweet pimentón de la Vera
Quantity
1 teaspoon
hot pimentón de la Vera (optional)
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
parsley (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
lemon (optional)
Quantity
1
cut into wedges
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cleaned pig ears | 2, about 700g total |
| onionpeeled and halved | 1 small |
| carrotscrubbed and halved | 1 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| black peppercorns | 6 |
| coarse salt | 10g, plus more to finish |
| olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 4 |
| sweet pimentón de la Vera | 1 teaspoon |
| hot pimentón de la Vera (optional) | 1/4 teaspoon |
| parsley (optional)chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| lemon (optional)cut into wedges | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy pot or olla, 4 litre capacity
- •Wide heavy frying pan or cast-iron skillet, 28cm
- •Splatter guard
- •Tongs
Instructions
- 1
Clean the ears
Rinse the pig ears well under cold water and check the folds. Scrape away any rough patches with a small knife and singe off stray hairs if needed. A cleaned ear should smell fresh and faintly sweet, not strong. If it smells sour, don't cook it.
Many butchers sell pig ears already cleaned. Still check the folds, because that is where grit hides. - 2
Simmer until tender
Put the ears in a pot with the onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 10g salt. Cover with cold water by 4cm and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim the first foam, then cook gently for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, until a knife slips through the thick base of the ear with little resistance. Do not hard-boil it; hard boiling roughens the skin and clouds the broth for no gain.
- 3
Cool and dry
Lift the ears from the pot and let them cool on a tray until you can handle them. Pat them very dry, then chill uncovered for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. This rest firms the gelatin and dries the surface, which is what lets the pieces fry crisp instead of stewing in their own moisture.
- 4
Cut small
Cut the cooled ears into 2cm squares or short strips, keeping some skin, cartilage, and soft base in each piece when you can. Taste one small piece for salt. It should be seasoned but not salty, because the frying will concentrate it a little.
- 5
Fry the ear
Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ear in one layer and leave it alone for 2 to 3 minutes before turning, so the first side catches and browns. Fry 6 to 8 minutes in all, turning now and then, until the edges are crisp and browned and the centers still look glossy. It may pop a little; use a splatter guard if you have one.
- 6
Add garlic and pimentón
Lower the heat to medium and add the sliced garlic. Stir for 30 to 45 seconds, just until pale gold. Pull the pan off the heat, add the sweet pimentón and the hot pimentón if using, and toss well in the hot oil. Pimentón burns fast and turns bitter, so it goes in off the heat. That is the small rule that saves the dish.
- 7
Finish and serve
Taste and add a pinch more salt if it needs it. Scatter over parsley if using, and serve at once with lemon wedges and bread. The ear should be crisp at the edges, sticky at the center, and red with garlic oil. Tal como se hace allí: hot, simple, and gone quickly.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the ears cleaned, pale, and fresh-smelling. Frozen pig ears are fine and often easier to find outside Spain; thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and dry them well before simmering.
- •The cooling step is not decoration. Warm, wet ear goes soft in the pan and spits badly. Cold, dry ear browns at the edges while the gelatin stays tender inside.
- •Use pimentón de la Vera, the smoked one. Add it off the heat. Burnt pimentón tastes bitter, and no amount of garlic fixes that.
- •Some Madrid bars serve oreja with salsa brava. This version keeps to garlic, oil, and pimentón. If you want brava, put it beside the plate, not over the ear, or you lose the texture you worked for.
Advance Preparation
- •Simmer the pig ears up to 2 days ahead, cool them, and keep them covered in the refrigerator after the first uncovered drying hour.
- •For the best frying texture, cut the cooked ears and leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours before cooking.
- •Leftovers keep 2 days, but they lose their crispness. Reheat in a dry frying pan with a small spoon of oil, not in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 160g)
Calories
375 calories
Total Fat
25 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
4 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
32 g
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