canariesguide

Papas Arrugadas Recipe, the Canaries' Wrinkled Potato

This papas arrugadas recipe comes down to one simple move: lots of salt, few ingredients. This iconic Canarian dish, literally "wrinkled potatoes", owes its distinctive texture to a cooking method passed down from the archipelago's fishermen, also covered on our pillar page, Fuerteventura food. Here's how to get it right at home, with the real secret to properly wrinkled skin.

In a nutshell

  • Small unpeeled potatoes, boiled in very salty water.
  • About 20 minutes of boiling until tender.
  • Uncovered drying at the end of cooking: the key step for wrinkling the skin.
  • Always served with mojo rojo and mojo verde.

Where the dish comes from: the seawater story

This dish didn't come about by chance. The origin of papas arrugadas traces back to fishermen who boiled their potatoes in seawater, having no fresh water on board, a practice common all along the coasts of the archipelago. As the salty water evaporated, the salt crystallised on the skin, seasoning the potato right through while wrinkling its surface.

Today, the same effect is recreated at home with generously salted fresh water, no seawater required.

The step-by-step recipe

  • 500g small Canarian potatoes (or a thin-skinned variety, unpeeled)
  • About 100g coarse sea salt per litre of water
  • Wash the potatoes without peeling them: the skin is essential.
  • Place them in a pan, cover with water, add the coarse salt generously.
  • Boil for about 20 minutes, until tender.
  • Drain, then return to a low heat, uncovered, for a few minutes, shaking gently, until the skin starts to wrinkle and whiten with salt.

    • The secret to properly wrinkled skin

    Many recipes stop at boiling, but letting the potatoes dry uncovered for a few minutes remains the key step for wrinkling the skin: it's this final drying, not just the salted boiling water, that gives them their signature look and fine salt crust.

    Papas arrugadas are traditionally served with our two homemade mojo sauces, verde and rojo, worth making alongside for a proper Canarian meal.

    To discover more local specialities, head to our Canary Islands guide.

    Frequently asked questions

    Where does the name "papas arrugadas" come from?

    "Papas" is the Canarian Spanish word for potatoes, and "arrugadas" means "wrinkled", referring to the skin's texture after cooking in salt.

    Should you peel the potatoes?

    No, the skin should stay on: it absorbs the salt and takes on its signature wrinkled texture during cooking.

    How long should you boil papas arrugadas?

    About 20 minutes in very salty boiling water, until a knife slides in easily.

    What type of potato should you use?

    Small, thin-skinned potatoes, ideally a Canarian variety; failing that, choose small new potatoes.

    What sauce should you serve papas arrugadas with?

    With mojo rojo and mojo verde, served together: everyone dips their potato as they like.

    Why doesn't the skin always wrinkle?

    Usually because the uncovered drying step at the end of cooking gets skipped: that's what creates the signature wrinkles, not the salted water alone.