Spanish Migas

No ratings yet

Migas is a rustic Spanish dish that makes the most of day-old bread. Toasted until crisp in the fat from smoky chorizo and pancetta, seasoned with sweet Spanish paprika, and finished with juicy grapes, it’s hearty, flavorful, and surprisingly simple to make.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Lunch

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings:

Author: Mark Beahm

Ingredients

12 ounces day-old crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (340g)
1/3 cup water (80ml)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (4-ounce) fresh Spanish chorizo sausage link or Portuguese chouriço, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (113g)
1/3 cup diced unsmoked pancetta (2oz, 57g)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Hydrate the bread. Place the bread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the water over the bread, a tablespoon at a time, tossing the bread with your hands to distribute the water evenly. Let the bread sit while preparing the other ingredients.
Cook the chorizo, pancetta, and bell pepper. Add the olive oil, chorizo, pancetta, bell pepper, and garlic into a large sauté pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo and pancetta have released their fat and crisped, and the bell pepper begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic (it’s done its job to flavor the oil), transfer to a plate, and set aside. Save the caramelized garlic for another use; I like to slather it on toast.
Add the bread. Reduce the heat to medium. If necessary, add more olive oil to the pan until there’s about 1/4 cup of fat. Add the bread and paprika to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the chorizo and pancetta add a lot of salt.
Stir constantly: Cook, stirring constantly but gently, until the bread is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, 15 to 20 minutes. The bread will quickly turn golden from chorizo and pancetta fat and the paprika, but the actual toasting process should be slow, or you risk burning the crumbs before the larger pieces of bread have a chance to crisp on the outside. At the beginning, if not using a nonstick pan, the bread may stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the pan clean to prevent the crumbs from toasting too quickly.
Finish and serve. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sliced grapes, and serve hot.

Notes

Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and Spanish paprika used in this recipe.
Meats for Migas: When making migas, I use a combination of fresh, uncured Spanish chorizo and pancetta, a cured but not smoked pork belly, that adds rendered fat and richness to this migas recipe.
- Uncured Spanish chorizo is the default type of chorizo in Spain. I wouldn't recommend substituting Mexican-style chorizo for this recipe because it has very different seasonings added.
- Look for fresh Spanish chorizo or Portuguese chouriço, which are primarily flavored with paprika and not often spicy like Mexican chorizo.
- If you can't find either, use cured Spanish chorizo, but make sure to dice it small so it cooks similarly to the pancetta. Large pieces of cured chorizo will become tough when cooked.
- In place of pancetta you can also use diced cured Spanish ham, which will be leaner, or bacon.
To make vegetarian migas: Though migas traditionally includes pork products, you can make a version without them by using more olive oil; you’ll need about 1/4 cup total. I would also recommend adding additional sweet paprika, and potentially garlic and onion powder to boost the flavor. You will also likely need to season the dish more aggressively with salt to replace that which the meat would typically contribute.

Nutrition

QR code

Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.