This papas arrugadas recipe (wrinkly potatoes) is a hugely popular dish in the Canary Islands, with small new potatoes boiled in water with coarse sea salt. Serve them with mojo sauce for huge flavor!
Papas Arrugadas Recipe (Wrinkly Potatoes)
We're serving up some small plate dishes here in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, my friends, so pull up a chair if you please. If you've been looking for a new dish to add some excitement to your tapas menu, this is a perfect addition.
We're talking Papas Arrugadas, and I think you're going to love them as much as I do.
Papas Arrugadas means "wrinkled potatoes" in Spanish. Essentially, small new potatoes are boiled in salt water that evaporates, leaving the potatoes with a thin layer of salt and wrinkled potato skins.
The dish hails from the Canary Islands, where the potatoes are served with a sauce called mojo, such as mojo verde, mojo rojo, or my favorite, mojo picon, which is an extra hot version.
I love all of the sauces, though I definitely lean toward the hot version, which is entirely shocking, I know.
Make sure you order up a plateful the next time you visit the Canary Islands along with your tour of Canarian cuisine! Or, if you'd like to save yourself a plane ticket, we can make them at home instead.
This recipe works great as a small plate, an appetizer, or even a side dish, though it's so good, you may want to serve them as your main course.
Let's talk about how to make papas arrugadas, shall we?
Papas Arrugadas Ingredients
- Potatoes. Use 2 pounds small potatoes for this recipe, though you can easily scale it to your needs. Fingerling potatoes are good, as are any new potatoes with thinner skins.
- Salt. Use 1/4 cup coarse sea salt for a good salt crust on the skins.
- Water. Use just enough to cover the potatoes so they can be cooked through.
- Mojo Sauce. Papas Arrugadas are often served with either mojo verde, mojo rojo, or mojo picon, which are flavorful pepper sauces. They're also delicious with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a touch more salt. See my recipe for Mojo Picon, or use a store bought version.
How to Make Papas Arrugadas - the Recipe Method
Boil the Potatoes. Clean the potatoes and add them to a large pot, then cover them with water. Add in the salt, set the water onto the burner and bring to a quick boil.
Boil the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are nicely softened.
Form the Salt Crust. Drain the water, then return the potatoes to the same pot. Heat them back to medium-low heat and let the remaining risidual water evaporate from the pot.
You should see a light salt crust form on the potatoes from the process of evaporation.
Serve. Transfer the boiled potatoes directly to a serving platter and serve them with your sauce or sauces on the side.
Or, you can toss them in the sauce to cover them and serve them up that way.
Boom! Done! This is such an easy recipe, isn't it? The perfect side dish or little appetizer. I love them so much.
Make them for your next gathering.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The potatoes. Use fingerling potatoes, petite Yukon gold, any smaller baby potatoes or new potatoes. You can make this recipe with larger potatoes, but make sure they are cooked all the way through. If you do, I suggest slicing them into more bite-sized pieces before serving.
- The Salt. Use a generous amount of salt water to get a good crust. Try using sea water for a truly authentic experience.
Storage and Leftovers
Store any leftover potatoes in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Do the same for any leftover sauce, though in a separate container.
You can also freeze the potatoes as well as the sauce in separate containers for 3 months.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this papas arrugadas recipe. They are seriously delicious, and they will surely be requested often by your discerning friends. Let me know if you make them. I'd love to hear how the dish turned out for you.
Try Some of My Other Popular Potato Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Papas Arrugadas Recipe (Wrinkled Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small potatoes
- 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
- Mojo Sauce for serving
Instructions
- Clean the potatoes and add them to a large pot.
- Cover them with water, then add in the salt.
- Boil the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened.
- Drain the water, then return the potatoes to the pot. Heat back to medium-low heat and let the remaining water evaporate from the pot. You should see a light salt crust form on the potatoes.
- Serve with mojo sauce!
lorie roe says
Hey! Great website - what are the last two photos on the wrinkled potatoes page?? Thanks! You embellished them with something - maybe the sauce?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lorie. Those are just the wrinkly potatoes dipped in the mojo sauce. Ready for me to eat!! Enjoy!
Michael says
Thank you for publishing this simple but tasteful recipe from the Canary Islands. Adding lemon zest is indeed a local variant.
¡Buen provecho!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Michael! Yes, ¡Buen provecho!
Jeremie says
I just bought new potatoes for this recipe before I knew you were going to publish it! but of course you had published before the mojo picon recipe!
Several recipes I've found add lemons to the cooking water, either lemon zest or quarters of lemons; so I'm gonna try all that!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Enjoy, Jeremie! These are delicious for sure.
Jeremie says
Papas Arrugadas with mojo picon: an extraordinary recipe; salty, sour, bitter and hot. All the flavors are exacerbated! not to put between all the palates, my dear friend! but my palate loved it. Unfortunately I didn't have pimiento palmera peppers (I had never even heard of it) and I used piri-piri...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yep, such a perfect combination, Jeremie! The palmera peppers are definitely hard to find outside of the Canary islands. My personal connection had to send me some. LOL.