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Panelle Siciliane

Palermitan chickpea fritters

Crisp-edged Sicilian chickpea fritters, traditionally tucked into sesame rolls with lemon and parsley.

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Prep40 minsCook20 minsServes4DifficultyMedium
Panelle Siciliane served in a rustic Mediterranean setting

Bright, satisfying and built for real life.

This recipe brings together the generous flavours of Sicilian and Italian cooking in a format that works on a busy day. Read through the method before starting and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Ingredient notes & swaps

  • Use chopped fennel fronds in place of parsley.
  • For a naturally gluten-free serving, omit the traditional bread roll.

The recipe

Panelle Siciliane

40 min prep20 min cook60 min total4 servings
Scale:

Ingredients

Panelle

Frying

To serve

Method

  1. 1

    Whisk the chickpea flour into the cold water in a saucepan until completely smooth.

    Set a timer: 3 minutes
  2. 2

    Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick and pulling away from the pan.

    Set a timer: 12 minutes
  3. 3

    Stir in salt and parsley, then spread the mixture 3 mm thick on lightly oiled trays.

    Set a timer: 5 minutes
  4. 4

    Cool until firm, then cut into small rectangles or diamonds.

    Set a timer: 30 minutes
  5. 5

    Heat the oil to 175°C and fry in batches until crisp and lightly golden; drain and serve with lemon.

    Set a timer: 8 minutes

Panelle are chickpea-flour fritters strongly associated with Palermo’s street-food culture. They are often eaten hot in a sesame roll as pane e panelle, with a squeeze of lemon.

Storage

Refrigerate the uncooked cut panelle for up to 2 days.

Freezing

Freeze separated by baking paper for up to 2 months.

Reheating

Re-crisp cooked panelle for a few minutes in a hot oven.

Keep cooking

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