Throw a Pintxos Party!
You don’t have to throw a dinner party (although we really want you to); you can throw a pintxos party! So here’s a little inspiration: start out the night the Basque way with pinxtos. Set out glasses, bottles of wine or mix a large batch of a cocktail, and let the guests serve themselves.
Scroll to see a few simple pintxos recipes you can make ahead of time.
WHAT ARE PINTXOSPintxos (peen-CHOS) are small snacks served at bars in Pays Basque, similar to tapas. The name comes from the Spanish verb pinchar meaning to poke or stab as many of the tapas are skewered with a toothpick.
The main difference between tapas and pintxos are tapas are usually free when ordering a beverage while pinxtos are paid for by the piece. Usually one to two bites, pintxos can range from a simple piece of bread with sliced meats to something a little more elaborate. Often the cold spread of pintxos are displayed on a bar and customers can grab what they want, and the hot pintxos are ordered through the bartender or server.
At the end of the meal, the number of your toothpicks are counted (or the server amazingly remembers) and you pay before moving onto the next bar for more snacks. Instead of a bar crawl, this is a pintxos crawl.
As we all know, hosting friends and family can be stressful because there’s never enough time. I always think of my aunt and uncle who make hosting look effortless and are able to truly be present in the moment. They always have a few snacks already out on the counter and have aperol spritzes ready to be served. The expectation isn’t always dinner. It’s “come over for cocktails and snacks,” and I’m here to remind you this is completely acceptable.
gilda
Skewer green Spanish olives, piparras (Basque peppers), and boquerones. Voila. Done.
Make ahead of time: place on a tray, wrap with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until guests arrive.
a spread of basque cheese
Technically this isn’t considered pintxos, but having a spread of cheese is one of the easiest things you can set out. Much of the cheese from the Basque region is made from sheep’s milk cheese, including these three.
You can typically find Idiazabal and Ossau-Iraty in your local cheese shop. Serve these cheeses with crackers, jamon serrano, salty nuts, membrillo, and/or jams.
Idiazábal is a sheep’s milk cheese. It’s buttery, nutty, and subtly smokey. Idiazabal is traditionally eaten with membrillo (quince paste) and walnuts.
Ossau-Iraty is a hard sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrénées. It’s creamy and rich. Serve with Marcona almonds to bring out its nutty flavor.
P’tit Basque cheese is made on the French side of the Pyrénées. It’s a medium firm cheese with a strong aroma.
PS. Cheese is at its most flavorful when room temperature so this can be set up early and one less thing to pull out from the refrigerator later.
montadito de txangurro
Txangurro is a species of spider crab. The shredded crab is mixed with mayonnaise, and spooned over sliced bread or crostini (montadito is a bite-sized open-faced sandwich):
1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 tbsp dijon
lemon zest and juice
espelette or smoked paprika
sliced chives
chopped parsley
salt to taste
Make ahead of time: Drain the crab. Mix the crab with all the ingredients (feel free to adjust the seasoning as you like it). Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Right before guests arrive, reseason if needed and spoon on toasts.
bacon wrapped dates
dates, pits removed — goat cheese — bacon slices
Make ahead: Cut each date lengthwise but not in half. Stuff with goat cheese and pinch the date to close. Slice the bacon slices in half and tightly wrap the date with the bacon slice. Use a toothpick to skewer the bacon around the date. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake on a parchment lined sheet tray for 15-20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through to crisp both sides.
gambas al ajillo
Shrimp is cooked in good quality olive oil and lots of garlic. Serve with toothpicks and garlic aioli.
peeled & deveined shrimp — olive oil — 6 cloves garlic — lemon juice — parlsey or fresh herbs — espelette/chile flake/etc — wine if desired
Thinly slice the garlic. In a saute pan or skillet, slowly heat the sliced garlic with a hefty amount of olive oil. Once the garlic starts to turn golden, toss in the shrimp, salt, and espelette. Stirring or tossing oven, cook the shrimp until just cooked, being careful not to burn the garlic. Throw a splash of white wine or sherry to finish cooking the shrimp. Season with lemon juice and parsley.
tortilla española
This Spanish omelet is a great brunch, light lunch, or afternoon snack as it can be made ahead of time, reheats pretty well, and is also great cold from the fridge.