Tortitas de Berro - Guatemalan Watercress Fritters

Tortitas de Berro con huevo- Guatemalan Watercress Fritters Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Tortitas de Berro - Guatemalan Watercress Fritters

These mini watercress omelettes are healthy, full of vitamins and protein and easy to make. They're a traditional food that's popular for breakfast or a light lunch in Guatemala and El Salvador.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Guatemalan, Latin American

Servings: servings

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Michele Peterson

Cost: $5

Ingredients

2 cups watercress fresh with bottom of stems trimmed
4 medium eggs
2 medium Roma tomatoes
1 small white onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

1/4 red onion halved and thinly sliced
1/8 cup cotija, Zacapa or Feta cheese crumbled

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Rinse the watercress thoroughly. Be sure to separate the stalks while washing to remove any grit. Chop off the coarse ends of the stalks
Soak in Microdyne solution ( if you're in Mexico or Guatemala)
Cook the watercress in boiling salted water until slightly tender (about 3-5 minutes)
Meanwhile, dice the onion, garlic clove and tomato ( removing seeds) finely.
Beat eggs until foamy
Drain the watercress in a colander, squeezing water out with your hands and then chop in a food processor
Fold chopped watercress, onion, garlic and tomato into egg mixture and stir
Heat oil in a large Teflon frying pan to medium high
Ladle spoonfuls of the watercress egg mixture onto frying pan or griddle and flatten with spoon until the size of a coaster, pushing egg toward centre if it spreads in the pan to keep the shape more or less circular
Cook until browned on bottom,3-5 minutes. carefully turn fritters and cook until browned another 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat, drain on paper towel and garnish with thinly sliced red onion and crumbly white cheese.

Notes

The key to crispy tortitas is to avoid packing too many fritters into the pan or onto the griddle at the same time.
Using an egg ring helps the tortitas maintain a round shape when frying.
If the watercress is especially watery, adding a tablespoon of white flour to the batter can help keep prevent the fritters from spreading while cooking.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed to be accurate. It is created by online calculators and although we attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, the figures are only estimates.

Nutrition