San Sebastián often is the solely metropolis on earth whose key sights embrace man-made mountains of canapés, seafood skewers, and creamy croquetas—finger meals so far as the attention can see. I’m speaking about pintxos, the flowery miniature dishes which have lengthy performed protagonist on this idyllic coastal metropolis’s vacationer scene.
Pintxos are a Basque custom, and they are often so simple as a skewer of canned tuna and a pickled pepper or as concerned as completely portioned seared foie gras served over heat apple compote. Some are dessert: It will be a travesty to go away San Sebastián with out making an attempt La Viña’s viral “burnt” cheesecake.
Pintxos symbolize a century of culinary evolution on this nook of the Basque Nation, and in my 14 years residing right here and writing about meals, I’ve come to consider them as a lifestyle. Stopping at a bar for a snack and a glass of wine is a each day ritual for locals—myself amongst them.
The fantastic thing about San Sebastián’s pintxo scene is that it takes nicely to a greatest-hits roundup: Nearly each bar right here has a signature dish locals devour earlier than hitting up the subsequent watering gap. To that finish, what follows is an edible roadmap that can take you from the La Concha Seashore promenade to the charming outdated city and throughout the river to residential Gros, the place I reside. Be sure you tempo your self—a little bit of restraint will make sure you maximize the variety of pit stops.
Was the gilda the primary pintxo, as so many guides breezily declare? No, however it is the holy grail of the banderilla (“skewer”) style. When pintxos have been invented about 100 years in the past, they have been basically snacks strung collectively on a toothpick. The gilda was amongst them, a holy trinity of manzanilla olive, meaty salt-cured anchovy, and sizzling pickled guindilla pepper. To strive it, cease into its alleged birthplace, Casa Vallés, a frozen-in-time bar based in 1942 within the metropolis middle. The title “gilda” comes from the Rita Hayworth character within the eponymous film, so known as as a result of each have been verde (inexperienced, which in Spanish additionally means salacious), picante (spicy, within the horny sense), and salado (salty, as in humorous or charming). The memorable moniker has helped maintain the pintxo on everyone’s lips—and of their stomachs—all these years.
Beloved throughout Spain, tortilla española often is the nation’s de facto nationwide dish, however few cities take the oozy potato omelet as critically as San Sebastián. tortilla—components: potato, eggs, onions, and oil—embodies the phrase “larger than the sum of its elements,” and the tiny, nondescript Antonio Bar serves what I contemplate to be the very best on the town. Antonio’s model is tall, darkish, and good-looking, due to a whopping 28 eggs, extra-caramelized onions, and completely confited potatoes.
Spain’s different potato-fueled obsession is ensaladilla rusa, the cool, mayo-rich potato salad locals eat for unhappy desk lunches, at Michelin-starred meals out in town, and each event in between. For me, the very best ensaladilla incorporates nothing greater than potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and a very good sprinkling of flaked canned tuna. Ezkurra agrees, and the bar’s secret is within the sauce: a light-weight, home made mayo recipe handed down from the present technology’s uncle Alejandro Balda. However don’t take my phrase for it—belief all the shoppers who cumulatively undergo as much as 175 kilos of the famed pintxo every day.
Boquerones, or vinegar-cured white anchovies, are a pintxo fixture. Shiny and silver, with a white underflesh, they’re the gateway anchovy for the anchovy-dubious—they usually’re the specialty at this Parte Vieja cubbyhole. Txepetxa’s anchovies are phenomenally recent (learn: not fishy) and marinated in a top-secret potion. Each anchovy pintxo begins with two glimmering fillets on a heat toasted baguette slice, however from there it’s select your personal journey: There are greater than a dozen toppings and condiments on supply, from spider crab cream to blueberry sauce to—my favourite—crunchy pepper-and-onion jardinera.
The essential factor to learn about croquetas is that there are as many recipes as there are cooks in Spain—and legally talking, none could be higher than one’s personal grandmother’s. A perk of being an outsider is that I’m free to rank San Sebastián’s finest breaded-and-fried béchamel bites with no worry of finger-wagging. That’s how I wound up at Bar Urkabe in Gros, the type of locals-only spot the place everyone is greeted with a smile and a wave. Right here, they simmer the bechamel for his or her chicken-studded croquetas in the identical pan they use to sear the breasts, which supplies the croquetas a homey, just-like-mamá’s taste.
I wish to pintxo-hop the way in which Basques do: one bar, one pintxo, one glass of wine y vámonos. However “La delicia” is my exception to the rule. Is it the way in which the salt-cured anchovy balances the chew of finely chopped onion parsley French dressing? Or the impossibly creamy home made mayonnaise enlivened by the optionally available (say sure!) splash of Worcestershire sauce? I don’t know, however I can by no means have only one delicia. You received’t discover this proprietary chew anyplace however La Espiga, the town’s longest-running pintxo bar—so elbow your technique to the entrance, and allow them to know what you got here for.
Tinned bonito del norte (albacore) is a pantry staple within the Basque Nation, the place it’s line-caught and canned in seaside villages. At Bar Martínez, this high-quality tuna will get flaked and folded right into a thick tartar sauce, then stuffed right into a candy, roasted, ruby-red piquillo pepper. Perched on a baguette slice and drizzled generously with sharp sherry vinegar and olive oil, the pimiento relleno is a San Sebastián basic, and the poster youngster of the oldest family-run bar within the Parte Vieja.
Within the Nineties, pintxos had a heyday—Basque nueva cocina was at a artistic fever pitch, worldwide components have been discovering their approach into bar bites, and pintxos with splashy names have been the regulation of the land. La Txalupa epitomizes the period: “Boat” in Basque, the txalupa is an oval hull of pastry topped with a duxelle of onions, oyster mushrooms, and creamy cava sauce. Bits of shrimp get folded in on the very finish and cook dinner within the residual warmth, after which the entire thing is topped with grated Swiss and broiled till golden. The Txalupa is the style of many locals’ childhoods, and also you’ll solely discover it at this legendary bar in Gros.
Scoring a superbly seared piece of foie gras for a couple of bucks feels like a fantasy on this financial system, however that’s the must-order pintxo at this sardine-can old-town mainstay open since 1999. The caramelized sliver of duck liver comes with a easy swipe of nothing-added applesauce, whose tart sweetness cuts the fats. Chef Alex Montiel’s secret? An extended, sluggish sear on the plancha (griddle). Drizzled with a Basque cider discount on the final second, this three-ingredient pintxo is an ode to understated luxurious.
Risotto could also be Italian in origin, however pound for pound, this bar within the outdated city seemingly sells extra of it than any Milanese restaurant. To make it, Borda Berri begins with orzo (versus the normal rice), which will get toasted till nutty and cooked in wine and vegetable broth in conventional risotto fashion. The chalkboard menu reads “risotto de Idiazabal,” however Chef Marc Clua whisks in three forms of the Basque uncooked sheep’s milk cheese—recent, aged, and smoked—for a posh, layered taste. A drizzle of parsley oil ups the Basque issue and lends a pop of colour to this crowd-pleasing pintxo.
A stroll by means of La Bretxa market’s row of fishmongers is a parade of complete fish with the shiniest scales and glistening eyes, tanks of reside lobsters and shrimp, and shells massive and small. My favourite dish incorporating these fresher-than-fresh shellfish comes from Casa Urola, a block from the market. I’m speaking in regards to the vieira asada (grilled scallop), which will get a kiss of flame and comes atop a cool and creamy ajoblanco, Spain’s historical silky almond-bread soup. Native movie star chef Pablo Loureiro attire this contemporary pintxo in a easy but revelatory espresso French dressing, then sprinkles on some pistachios and almonds plus a little bit of nori for crunch. The result’s a dish worthy of any white tablecloth.
There’s little to say about Basque burnt cheesecake that hasn’t been lined in almost half-a-million Instagram posts, so I’ll maintain this temporary: La Viña, the place the cheesecake fashion was invented, stays nicely well worth the hype. Cheesecakes resting of their burned parchment springforms deck the partitions of this conventional, family-run bar that all the time serves the pintxo the identical approach: in two skinny slivers per portion. Irrespective of what number of variations of the dessert you’ve tried, it’s value ending your pintxo hop with the unique, a creamy, tangy cheesecake stripped down the naked necessities. Anticipate neither crust nor garnish—gazta-tarta is all in regards to the eggy custard, flippantly burnished across the edges and finest loved with a glass of txakoli or Pedro Ximenez sherry.
