Marmitako appears as a signature dish in 2 Spain cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Marmitako · Bilbao
Marmitako is the Basque fisherman's tuna stew, made with bonito (Atlantic bonito tuna), potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and onions in one pot, cooked aboard small boats while the catch was still warm.
Marmitako takes its name from the marmita, the cast-iron pot Basque sailors cooked it in. The dish appeared in the 19th century along the Cantabrian coast, when bonito boats from Bermeo and Santurtzi simmered the catch with potatoes, choricero peppers and onions in a single pot. By the 1980s, marmitako had crossed from boat to taberna and is now the canonical summer Basque stew, eaten July through September across Bilbao tabernas. Casa Rufo, La Despensa de Etxanobe and the older Bilbao kitchens run the seasonal version.
Where to eat in Bilbao:
- La Despensa del Etxanobe
- Casa Rufo
- Anboto Gastroleku
Marmitako · San Sebastián
Basque tuna and potato stew, originally cooked by fishermen at sea in a marmita from the day's bonito catch, choricero-pepper pulp, ripe tomato, green pepper and potatoes broken into chunks so starch thickens the broth.
Marmitako (literally 'from the pot') was the fishermen's lunch aboard Basque bonito boats from at least the 19th century. The dish came ashore through the cofradias (fishermen's cooperatives) and is now a summer staple of every Basque txoko (private dining society). Casa Urola and Bodegon Alejandro keep the canonical Donostia version on the menu during bonito season (June to October).
Where to eat in San Sebastián:
- Casa Urola
- Bodegon Alejandro
- Casa Vergara
- Gandarias