Name: Pintxo Gilda (home recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 12 anchoas del Cantabrico in olive oil; 24 pitted Manzanilla olives; 24 pickled Ibarra guindilla peppers; 12 wooden cocktail skewers; Olive oil for finishing

History

The gilda was invented in 1946 at Bar Casa Vallés in San Sebastian, when a customer named the skewer after the Rita Hayworth film 'Gilda' (1946). The pintxo migrated across the Basque country and Bilbao adopted it as a counter staple. The classic gilda combines anchoa de Cantabrico, Manzanilla olive and Ibarra guindilla pepper on a single toothpick. Bar Charly, Bar El Globo and every Bilbao pintxo counter runs a version, with debates about whether to swap a salted anchovy for a fresher Cantabrian boquerón.

Common allergens: Fish

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 10 minTotal 10 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

12 anchoas del Cantabrico in olive oil
24 pitted Manzanilla olives
24 pickled Ibarra guindilla peppers
12 wooden cocktail skewers
Olive oil for finishing

Method

Drain the anchovies on kitchen paper.
On each skewer, thread: one olive, one guindilla folded in half, one anchovy folded in three, another guindilla folded in half, another olive.
Repeat for all 12 skewers.
Arrange on a plate, drizzle with the best olive oil you have, serve immediately with a cold beer or txakoli.

Tip from the editors. Use Ibarra guindillas if you can find them; their thin skin and mild heat are right for the dish. Standard pickled chilies are too aggressive.