Chef Isabel
Banderilla Vasca
Banderilla Vasca is the Basque bar's cold skewer: piparra peppers, olives, pickled onion, gherkin, and anchovy threaded so every bite lands sharp, briny, and salty.
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Brocheta de Gambas Donostiarra
Created by
This Basque prawn skewer belongs to Donostia's pintxo counters: hot plancha prawns, bread to catch the juices, and a garlicky parsley oil spooned over at the end.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Celebration
Date Night
20 min
Active Time
6 min cook•26 min total
Yield8 skewers
Brocheta de Gambas Donostiarra is Basque, from the pintxo counters of Donostia, where the skewer is small, direct, and carried by the quality of the prawn. It is not a dressed-up seafood kebab. It is prawns cooked hard and fast on a plancha, set over bread, and finished with ajo y perejil, garlic and parsley, in good olive oil.
The method that decides it is the heat. The prawns must hit a very hot surface and cook in minutes, just until the flesh turns opaque and still springs under your finger. Leave them too long and they tighten, and no sauce will give back what the pan took. Salt them just before cooking, oil them lightly, and let the bread do its quiet job underneath, catching the garlicky juices.
If you are far from Donostia, no hace falta haber pisado España. Use large raw prawns or shrimp with the shells already off, 16 to 20 count if you can find them, and thaw them slowly in the fridge if frozen is what your market gives you. Frozen raw prawns are honest enough here; just dry them well or they'll stew instead of sear. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Brochetas de gambas belong naturally to the Basque pintxo bar, especially in Donostia, where small bites are built for the counter, one skewer or one slice of bread at a time. The form follows the old barra habit: seafood from the nearby coast or market, cooked quickly on the plancha, then served over bread so nothing good is lost. Garlic, parsley, and olive oil are not decoration here; they are the plain house finish used across many Basque seafood pintxos.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large raw prawns or shrimp
Quantity
24, about 500g
peeled and deveined, tails left on if liked
baguette or barra bread
Quantity
8 slices
cut 1.5cm thick
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
4 tablespoons
divided
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
very finely minced
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
finely chopped
dry white wine or txakoli
Quantity
1 tablespoon
lemon juice (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more for the bread
sweet pimentón (optional)
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large raw prawns or shrimppeeled and deveined, tails left on if liked | 24, about 500g |
| baguette or barra breadcut 1.5cm thick | 8 slices |
| extra virgin olive oildivided | 4 tablespoons |
| garlic clovesvery finely minced | 3 |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons |
| dry white wine or txakoli | 1 tablespoon |
| lemon juice (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more for the bread |
| sweet pimentón (optional) | 1/4 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Plancha or heavy cast-iron grill pan
- •8 short wooden or metal skewers
- •Tongs
- •Small bowl for garlic parsley oil
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the prawns
Pat the prawns very dry with kitchen paper. This matters more than people think: wet prawns boil in their own water before they ever brown. Put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, a little black pepper, and the pimentón if using. Toss and leave them no more than 10 minutes.
- 2
Make the garlic oil
Stir the minced garlic, parsley, white wine or txakoli, lemon juice if using, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Do not cook this hard ahead of time. Garlic turns bitter quickly, and this skewer wants it sharp, green, and clean.
- 3
Toast the bread
Brush the bread slices with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toast them on the plancha, grill pan, or under a grill until lightly golden at the edges. Salt them while they are still warm. Lay the bread on a serving plate; it is there to catch the oil and prawn juices, not just to hold the skewer.
- 4
Sear the prawns
Heat a plancha, heavy frying pan, or grill pan until very hot. Add the prawns in one layer and cook 60 to 90 seconds on the first side, then turn and cook 45 to 60 seconds more, just until opaque and lightly browned in spots. Take them off while they still feel springy. If you wait until they curl tight, you have waited too long.
Cook in two batches if the pan is crowded. Crowding drops the heat, and then you get pale prawns sitting in liquid. - 5
Skewer and dress
Thread 3 prawns onto each small skewer and set one skewer over each toast. Spoon the garlic parsley oil over the hot prawns so it runs down into the bread. Serve at once, while the prawns are glossy and juicy. Tal como se hace allí: simple, hot, and not made to wait.
Chef Tips
- •Buy raw prawns, not cooked ones. Cooked prawns reheated on a plancha turn rubbery before they taste of anything. Frozen raw prawns are fine if they are good quality; thaw them overnight in the fridge and dry them very well.
- •If you can get gambas from a fishmonger, use them. If not, large raw shrimp work. The flavor will be a little sweeter and less briny, but the dish still behaves the same if the heat is high.
- •Use a plancha or the heaviest pan you own. Thin pans cool the moment the prawns land, and the juices run out instead of browning.
- •Txakoli, the Basque white wine, is right beside this. If you cannot find it, pour a dry, sharp white wine. Cider from the north also sits well with the garlic and seafood.
- •Serve these the moment they are dressed. This is not a skewer for holding warm on a tray; the bread softens and the prawns tighten.
Advance Preparation
- •Peel and devein the prawns up to 8 hours ahead; keep them covered in the refrigerator and dry them again before seasoning.
- •Mince the garlic and chop the parsley up to 2 hours ahead, but mix the sauce close to cooking so the garlic stays bright.
- •If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before cooking or serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 80g)
Calories
170 calories
Total Fat
8 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
410 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
15 g
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