Torres Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crisps, 125g

Torres are Spanish crisps, and the Selecta range is their premium line. This one is fried in extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with nothing but salt. This is the 125g bag, and the maker on the label is Patatas Fritas Torres S.L., in Spain.

Three ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, extra virgin olive oil (37%) and salt. That is the whole list, so what you taste is the potato, the olive oil and the salt.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin is the top grade of olive oil, pressed from olives by mechanical means only. The pack says 100% extra virgin olive oil, and it makes up 37% of the crisps by weight, so the oil is a flavour here, not just a way of cooking.

The taste

Frying in olive oil gives the crisps a rounder, fruitier taste than a crisp fried in sunflower oil, with a light peppery note from the oil at the finish.

Salt

Salt is the only seasoning. The label gives 1.1g of salt per 100g, amber on the front of pack scale; the Torres Black Truffle carries 1.5g.

Fat

With olive oil at 37% of the recipe, the label gives 37g of fat per 100g, red on the front of pack scale, and 4.8g of saturates, amber, just under the red line at 5g.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 560 kcal (2331 kJ), 37g of fat, 4.8g of saturates, 50g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 4.2g of fibre, 4.6g of protein and 1.1g of salt per 100g. The listing gives no serving size, so tip a handful into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 37g is red. Saturates at 4.8g are amber. Sugars at 0.5g are green. Salt at 1.1g is amber.

Carbohydrate and fibre

The label gives 50g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 0.5g are sugars; the rest is starch from the potato. Fibre is 4.2g and protein 4.6g per 100g.

Potatoes

Potatoes are the first ingredient and the largest part of the bag, sliced into thin, classic crisps.

Plain and simple

With nothing but potato, oil and salt, the quality of the oil and the potato is what you taste.

Why olive oil

Olive oil is a traditional frying oil in Spain, and a crisp fried in it tastes of the oil as well as the potato.

Gluten free

There is no gluten ingredient on the list, and the pack says the crisps are gluten free.

Selecta

The word Selecta sits under the Torres name, and the pack calls the crisps premium potato chips.

Keeping the bag fresh

Once the bag is open, clip it shut or tip the crisps into an airtight tin, because crisps soften in damp air.

One oil

The ingredients name extra virgin olive oil as the only oil, so there is no other oil in the bag, and the pack says 100% extra virgin olive oil.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are on the published ingredient list, and the published listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the crisps are gluten free; the listing makes no vegetarian or vegan statement. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Made in Spain

The listing gives Spain as the country of origin, and the pack text is in English and Spanish: aceite de oliva virgen extra, patatas fritas premium.

Premium potato chips

The pack calls them premium potato chips. They are thin, classic slices, golden from the olive oil.

Storage

The listing advises a cool, dry place, with the best before date and batch number on the back of the bag.

The pack

The white bag carries the Torres name in red with the word Selecta, a pen and ink drawing of potatoes and an olive branch, the words 100% extra virgin olive oil and aceite de oliva virgen extra, and the line premium potato chips, patatas fritas premium.

Who it suits

A plain crisp fried in extra virgin olive oil suits anyone who likes a Spanish style crisp, and the gluten free claim suits many tables.

Serving ideas

Serve the crisps the Spanish way, with a glass of cold beer or a dry sherry, olives and slices of cured ham or Manchego.

At a party

Put a bowl out beside tapas: olives, almonds, pickled peppers and a tortilla cut into squares.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make an olive oil crumb for fish, or a crunchy topping for a tomato salad.

A tapas crisp

In Spain, crisps are often served as a tapa with a drink, and a plain olive oil crisp suits that job: it goes with olives, anchovies, cured ham and cheese.

With wine

A dry white wine such as an Albariño, a fino sherry or a cold lager all suit an olive oil crisp.

In a sandwich

A handful of olive oil crisps in a ham and tomato bocadillo, a Spanish style sandwich, adds the crunch.

Crisp and golden

The olive oil gives the crisps a deep golden colour and a clean, crisp bite.

Other Torres

We also stock Torres Black Truffle crisps in the same 125g bag.

The published listing gives Spain as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.