Bocadillo de Bonito del Norte

Bocadillo de bonito del Norte is Basque, from the bar counter more than the dining room: a crusty roll filled with pale tinned bonito, Cantabrian anchovies, piparras, and enough mayonnaise to bind, not drown. It is not a clever sandwich. It is good preserves treated properly.

The method that decides it is the draining. Drain the bonito, then flake it in large pieces, not mash it into paste. Keep a little of its olive oil for richness, fold in the mayonnaise gently, and lay the anchovies where each bite gets salt. The piparras do the lifting: green, sharp, and mild, cutting the oil so the bocadillo stays bright.

If you can't find bonito del Norte where you are, use the best albacore tuna packed in olive oil, not tuna in water. The texture will be a little less silky, but it will still eat properly. No piparras? Use mild pickled guindillas if you can find them, or a few thin strips of pickled green pepper at a pinch. No hace falta haber pisado España. Buy good tins, don't rush the bread, and it comes out. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.