Kokotxas are the throat glands of hake, gelatinous wedges of cartilage and flesh that emulsify into the Basque pil pil sauce, cooked slowly in olive oil and garlic until the gelatin forms a green-tinted emulsion.

The kokotxa dish entered the Basque canon in the 19th-century fishing tradition of Pasaia and Hondarribia, where the throat glands (once discarded) were taken home by fishermen's families and cooked in garlic-and-oil cazuelas. The pil pil emulsion technique (shaking the pan to bind the hake gelatin into a green sauce) descends from the bacalao al pil pil tradition of the Basque cod trade. Casa Urola and Bodegon Alejandro in San Sebastian's Old Town anchor the canonical kokotxas service since the mid-20th century. Kokotxa restaurant on Calle Campanario takes its name from the dish and holds a Michelin star.

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