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Loading...Named after the 1946 film character Gilda, this iconic Basque skewer layers briny green olives, salt-cured anchovies, and tangy pickled guindilla peppers into a single salty-spicy bite. It is the textbook pintxo of San Sebastián taverns, served alongside chilled dry sherry or a cold Basque beer.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time0 mins
Total Time15 mins
Servings4
Yield12 skewers (4 servings)
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 180 kcalCalories
- 15 gFat
- 2.5 gSaturated Fat
- 3 gCarbs
- 1.5 gFiber
- 0.5 gSugar
- 8 gProtein
- 1100 mgSodium
- 150 mgPotassium
- 80 mgCalcium
- 1.5 mgIron
- 5 mgVitamin C
- 30 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the skewers
- 48 large pitted Spanish manzanilla olives (about 1 jar, drained)
- 12 high-quality salt-cured Spanish anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
- 12 pickled guindilla peppers (or pepperoncini), stems trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon thinly sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional garnish
For serving
- 12 small bamboo cocktail skewers or toothpicks
- Crusty Basque bread or baguette slices, optional
- Cold txakoli wine, dry fino sherry, or a chilled lager, optional
Directions
- Drain the olives, anchovies, and guindilla peppers well on paper towels; pat each anchovy fillet dry so the skewer stays neat.
- If the olives are very large, cut them in half lengthwise so each skewer can hold one olive, one folded anchovy, and one pepper without sliding.
- Fold each anchovy fillet in half lengthwise so it wraps the olive snugly when skewered.
- Thread onto each cocktail skewer in this order: one olive, one folded anchovy draped over the olive, then one guindilla pepper nestled at the top.
- Arrange the finished skewers on a chilled platter in a single layer; do not overcrowd or the oil will pool.
- Drizzle lightly with the extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley just before serving.
- Serve immediately at room temperature, accompanied by slices of crusty bread to mop up the briny oil and glasses of cold txakoli, fino sherry, or lager.
- For a traditional presentation, set the skewers upright in a small glass tumbler so the peppers peek out the top.
Cook’s Notes
- Use the best-quality Spanish anchovies you can find; Ortiz or Don Bocarte are the classic choices and make a dramatic difference.
- Manzanilla olives stuffed with anchovy are a popular shortcut, but plain pitted olives more closely match the original San Sebastián version.
- Guindilla peppers from the Basque country (the slender pale-green ones) are the traditional choice; Italian pepperoncini are an acceptable substitute.
- Make the skewers no more than 30 minutes ahead, and keep them chilled; the anchovies lose their silky texture if left out too long.
- Never refrigerate opened anchovy tins submerged in oil longer than a week, and always cover leftovers with a thin film of olive oil in a sealed container.
