Chopitos recipe, one of the most ordered tapas in Spain

Chopitos are one of the most popular tapas in Spain, typical of the southern Spanish coast and some inland areas (Madrid). In some places they are also called puntillitas or pulpitos. Actually, they are choquitos (cuttlefish) with a small lump called choquito picudo, which is where the name chopitos comes from. This dish requires few ingredients, so it is a good opportunity to acquire quality products.

The recipe for chopitos is quite simple, but it requires some patience; as each chopito has to be cleaned very well. Otherwise, you only have to salt and flour them and fry them in hot oil so that they acquire their characteristic golden colour. Below, we tell you how to prepare this dish that cannot be missed in the chiringuitos and terraces of most of Spain.

Ingredients for the fried chopitos:

• 500 g of chopitos
• 100 g of flour
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Lemon (optional)

How to make fried chopitos:

1. Before starting the recipe, first wash the chopitos well with water, clean them and then let them drain in a strainer. To clean them, remove the inside, the eyes, the skin and the mouth. When they are clean, put them under the tap and let them dry on kitchen paper. They have to be very dry so that they do not splash when fried and are well impregnated with flour.
2. Once they are ready, sprinkle them with fine salt and dip them in flour. Bathe them well in it and shake them. For this you can put them on a strainer or a sieve, shaking it so that they jump and the excess flour falls off.
3. While you are coating the chopitos, heat the oil in a frying pan (or fryer at 170ºC) over a high heat. Fry them in several batches and, when they are golden brown, leave them on kitchen paper. When serving, you can add a quarter of a lemon to taste.