Ensaladilla de gambas at Puracepa and Petit Comite

Most people who know me also know that I don’t much like ensaladilla (aka ensaladilla rusa). To me it tastes like bland over-cooked potato chunks slathered in cheap mayo, which is supposed to be enhanced by the flavours of either gambas or tuna. Usually it just tastes like a gloopy mess of tired potatoes and commercial mayo that maybe – just maybe! – spent a short amount of time in the same room as a gamba. So yeah, why eat this calorie-laden mess when I could eat other delicious tapas that are totally worth it? And why is it considered to be one of Sevilla’s most prized tapas to the extent that there are competitions to find the Very Best ensaladilla in town? Well, the mind reels.

Happily I have discovered two – and so far only two – ensaladillas in Sevilla that pass muster, which are also featured on the front page of Sevilla Tapas this month. One has been my favourite since I first discovered Puracepa back in 2009, and it has remained my favourite until just very recently. Why? Because it has chunks of nicely cooked potato mixed with a good mayo and an absurd amount of juicy plump cooked prawns, and then it’s topped with hard-boiled quail eggs and strips of roasted red pepper. Heaven.

Then back in June I tasted the fab ensaladilla at Petit Comite with gambones and basil oil. The potatoes are cooked in the water used to boil the king prawns, which adds amazing flavour and is enhanced by the touch of basil. Loved it at first bite.

I can’t say one is better than the other because I actually love both of them – go and try them yourself and let me know what you think. What I can say is that these two ensaladillas are the only ones that have ever made me want to finish the entire dish and to hell with the calories. But I’d be interested to know what ensaladilla is your favourite and where it can be found.