Don’t call these small plates ‘tapas.’ They’re pinxtos

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN

(CNN) — The Basque people, among the oldest cultures in not just Spain but all of Europe, have their own way of doing things.

Take the Basque Country tradition of pinxtos.

A pinxto (meaning “spike” in the Basque language) is a small snack, often served on a toothpick. It’s meant to be eaten in a bite or two, standing up at a bar, before moving onto the next destination.

You might be tempted to compare pinxtos to tapas, another Spanish tradition of small plates. But as Eva Longoria learned while filming in San Sebastián for “Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain,” that would be a mistake.

“Don’t you dare call a pinxto a tapa,” she tells CNN. “You will get run out of Basque Country.”

Bar hopping is a crucial component of the pinxto experience, and Longoria embarked on a pinxto tour in San Sebastián with the expert guidance of Marti Buckley, an American food writer who has lived in San Sebastián for 15 years.

What distinguishes a pinxto from a tapa is its composition. While a tapa is often a single food like jamón or garlic shrimp, a pinxto is a more elaborate culinary creation.

The Gilda, a classic pinxto named for the 1946 film starring Rita Hayworth, arranges a manzanilla olive, pickled guindilla peppers and a salty Cantabrian anchovy on a skewer in the shape of a woman’s body. Another pinxto called La Delicia layers a salt-cured anchovy, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and an onion-parsley vinaigrette atop a piece of bread. Yet another is a deep-fried piquillo pepper stuffed with meat.

“So much artistry goes into these tiny bites. It has to be an explosion of flavors in one bite,” Longoria says. “That’s what a pinxto is: a gourmet bite.”

The best pinxto bars are each known among locals for a signature offering. But in Basque Country, pinxtos are more than innovative bar snacks. They’re a celebration of culture and identity — and a way of life.

“Pinxtos are not only a ‘what,’ they are where you eat them and what you are doing when you eat them — they are inextricable from their cultural context,” Buckley writes in her cookbook “The Book of Pinxtos.”

In other words, a pinxto is not a pinxto without the bar that’s serving it or without good company to share it with.

Here, Buckley shares a recipe for tosta de bogavante, served at the award-winning Bar Zeruko in San Sebastián. She describes it in her cookbook as “a Connecticut-style lobster roll with a Mediterranean mayo dollop.” Enjoy it with a glass of chilled cava or champagne.

Tosta de Bogavante (Lobster toast)

This recipe is courtesy of writer Marti Buckley, from her 2024 cookbook “The Book of Pinxtos.”

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 large egg, at room temperature

3/4 cup (180 ml) sunflower or other neutral oil

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon cava, at room temperature

1 tablespoon fish or lobster stock (see Notes)

A lemon wedge (optional)

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small round rustic loaf or ciabatta, sliced into 6 pieces

9 ounces (255 g) freshly cooked lobster meat (from arms and knuckles; see Notes), broken into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup (60 ml) parsley oil (see Notes)

Flaky sea salt

Special Equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or a ziplock bag

Instructions

Crack the egg into a tall cylindrical container. Add the sunflower oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Insert an immersion blender into the container so it touches the bottom and, without moving it, blend on the lowest setting. Once the mayonnaise is almost totally emulsified, move the blender slowly up and down to incorporate the remaining oil. (Alternatively, use a regular blender: Combine the egg and salt in the blender and, with the blender running, slowly stream in the oil through the hole in the lid.) Add the cava and stock and blend well. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or lemon juice if necessary.

Transfer the aioli to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or a ziplock bag. If making ahead of time, refrigerate until ready to use; if using a ziplock bag, cut off the tip of one of the bottom corners before piping the aioli.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the slices of bread and toast, allowing them to color slightly before turning them to toast the other side. Transfer to a plate.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pan, then add the lobster, in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Sear for about 45 seconds on each side. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Pipe a zigzag bed of aioli onto each piece of bread. Divide the seared lobster among the pieces of bread, drizzle with the parsley oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve.

Notes

You can buy already-cooked lobster or cook a 1½-pound (680 g) lobster yourself. Be careful not to overcook it. If cooking a whole lobster, instead of using fish stock for the aioli, after removing the meat from the shell, boil the lobster shells in a pot of water for about 5 minutes. Strain and use the resulting lobster “stock” in the aioli.

If using frozen precooked lobster, allow it to thaw completely before using it here.

To make the parsley oil, combine the leaves from 1 bunch of parsley, 1 sliced garlic clove and ½ cup (120 ml) of olive oil in a food processor or using an immersion blender. Process until the parsley is in tiny pieces. Transfer to a squirt bottle or a jar with a lid. This makes about ½ cup (120 ml) of parsley oil and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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