Spanish migas came about as a way to use up leftover bread, but it's a dish that's worth finding an excuse to make. With chorizo, peppers and crisp and chewy bread, it's packed with tasty flavor. Plus, it's quick and easy to make.

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Many cultures have dishes that emerged as a way to use up leftovers, to help stretch food that bit further. They're part of what in Italy would be called "cucina povera" or peasant cooking.
Yet despite the humble origins, some of these dishes are nowadays well loved classics. Italy has panzanella, in the Middle East you'll find fatteh. In Spain you'll find two dishes for leftover bread - sopa de ajo (garlic soup) and migas.

What are the origins of migas?
"Migas" means crumbs as that's the basis of the dish. While the exact origin is unknown, the idea of migas is believed to have come from farmers in the Iberian peninsula. It likely dates back as far back as the Middle Ages, though has undergone some changes in exactly what goes in there.
Even today, you'll find regional variations in the ingredients and how it's made. But at it's core, in Spain and Portugal you fry stale bread with other ingredients, often vegetables and some meat, in particular chorizo.
What's the difference between Spanish and Mexican migas?
Migas as an idea was taken to Mexico during colonization, though instead of bread, most migas in Mexico as well as Tex-Mex migas, use corn tortillas as the base.
In Mexico, you often just fry the tortillas then combine with eggs. Other flavors are added on the side like salsa or refried beans. In the Tex-Mex version, you typically add vegetables in with the tortillas and eggs and might use the mixture as a filling for tacos.

As mentioned above, the Spanish version, meanwhile, has bread as the base. You might sometimes add an egg on top, but it's not combined in the dish itself. Instead pepper, chorizo and bacon are most common, with sometimes other additions like onion.
The bread soaks up all the tasty flavors from the olive oil, meats, garlic and paprika. It's a simple yet tasty mix.
Tips for making Spanish migas
This dish is relatively simple, but a few things can make a difference to help it turn out well.
- Use at least day-old bread. Fresh bread is not the best here as it absorbs too readily. While it might crisp on the outside, it will likely be soggy inside either from oil or water (that you scatter over the bread). Neither is good. Dry bread - a few days old is even better - gives the right texture. The water softens the inside to become chewy but it crisps without absorbing too much.
- Baguette, country-style bread or sourdough breads work best. A white bread with a bit of natural chew and a lighter structure works well. Brown, seeded and sliced breads don't work quite as well as they are more dense and the texture is not as good.
- Choose a soft but cooked chorizo. You'll crisp up the chorizo, but not cook it for too long, so ideally you don't want a dry, slicing chorizo that can become too dry and tough. Nor do you want fresh chorizo that has quite a different texture (and definitely not Mexican-style that has different flavors). Ideally, semi-curado that's a bit softer is good. If you can only find a firmer chorizo, just cook very briefly.
- Use Spanish paprika - it might not seem that big a deal, but this is one of the main flavors, so it's worth using a good Spanish "pimientón de la vera", either sweet or smoked.
- Layer up the flavors - you cook the aromatic ingredients like the garlic, chorizo and bacon first as they add flavor to the oil, that transfers into the bread. You remove each so they don't over-cook, then add back at the end.
Cooking takes a little time, since you cook in stages. But it's all easy and worth it for the end result.

Serving options
As mentioned above, this has a few variations in different regions. But it also depends on your preference and when you serve it. This started off as a breakfast dish for shepherds to fuel them up for the day, and definitely can make a great brunch. Especially if you top it with an egg and let the yolk drizzle in - yum!
These days, it's probably more common as a first course for either lunch or dinner. Then some people (probably more foreigners, potentially) treat it as more of a side, similar to stuffing.
In some areas, you serve this with grapes on the side which might sound a little unusual, but actually the juicy sweetness works as a nice contrast to the savory, salty flavors in the dish.

Spanish migas might have humble origins, but it's a wonderfully flavorful dish that's understandably still well loved. Just a few ingredients and an easy cook make this hearty fare such a great mix of textures and tastes. You'll be wanting to save leftover bread on purpose.
Try these other Spanish favorites:
- Spanish pintxos (enjoy a selection of easy bread-with-toppings tapas)
- Ensaladilla rusa (Spanish potato salad, similar to Olivier salad)
- Chorizo al vino tinto (a classic tapas dish of chorizo cooked in wine)
- Plus get more Spanish recipes in the archives.
Spanish migas
Ingredients
- 2 cups day old/stale bread loosely packed, broken into small chunks
- 1 tablespoon water approximately
- 1 slice smoked bacon
- 1 ½ oz chorizo soft but cured
- 1 clove garlic or 2 smaller
- ½ green pepper (bell pepper)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil approximately
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet - Spanish if at all possible
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 grapes to serve, optional (can also serve with fried egg)
Instructions
- Break up the bread into small chunks and remove any particularly tough crusts (or all, if you prefer) before measuring/weighing. Spread the bread out on a board/plate or shallow bowl and sprinkle over the water. You want each piece to get gently moist but not be wet and sponge-like. Set aside.
- Slice the bacon and chorizo into medium slices. Halve the pepper lengthwise then cut into relatively thin slices. Peel the garlic but leave the cloves whole, if smaller, or halve if larger.
- Warm the oil in a small skillet/frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two either side until gently brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or by draining with a wooden spoon to one side and set aside.
- Add the bacon and chorizo and cook a couple minutes, turning as needed, until both are gently crisp. Remove all from the skillet, draining as you go and set aside with garlic.
- Add the pepper to the skillet and increase heat as needed, and cook a couple minutes until gently softened and the skin blisters a little. Remove, draining as you go and set aside with the chorizo etc.
- Add the softened bread to the skillet and stir to coat as evenly as you can with the oil that should now be slightly orange-red from the chorizo fat. Cook for a few minutes, turning to crisp up on both sides, so that the bread is gently crisp all over and just slightly browning. Add the paprika and a little salt and pepper and add back the garlic, chorizo, bacon and peppers. Mix so everything is well combined then serve, either as it is, with grapes or fried egg.
Video
Nutrition
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