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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Gilda Basque Anchovy Olive Guindilla Skewer
Created by
Gilda is Basque, born in Donostia's bars: salted anchovy, manzanilla olive, and vinegar guindilla on one skewer. Use good conservas and keep the order tight: salt, acid, heat.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Quick Meal
Date Night
10 min
Active Time
0 min cook•10 min total
Yield12 gildas
Gilda is Basque, from Donostia, and it is one clean bite: a salted anchovy, a manzanilla olive, and a pickled guindilla de Ibarra, also called piparra, held on a short skewer. Salt, fat, acid, and the light green bite of the pepper. Nothing more. That is what makes it a Gilda and not a loaded banderilla made from whatever is open in the fridge.
The method that decides it is not cooking. It is draining and balance. The olive and guindilla must be dry enough not to flood the anchovy, and the anchovy must stay glossy with its own oil. Spear it firmly, but don't crush it. You want one mouthful that hits in order: olive, anchovy, guindilla, then the oil tying it together.
If you're far from Donostia, no hace falta haber pisado España. Find good anchovy fillets in olive oil, a firm green olive, and a mild pickled green chilli if Ibarra guindillas won't come. Pepperoncini works at a pinch; it is softer and less grassy, so cut it smaller and choose the mild jar. Don't use boquerones en vinagre here. They are good, but they make another thing.
Make the gildas close to serving, give them five minutes with a little olive oil, and put them on the table cool, not fridge-cold. My Margin says only this: not wet, not dry. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
The Gilda belongs to Donostia, San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, where pintxos line the bar and one sharp bite is often taken with a glass before lunch. It is tied to Casa Vallés and to Rita Hayworth's film Gilda: the skewer was called verde, salada y un poco picante, green, salty, and a little spicy, because the guindilla, anchovy, and olive said it all. Its shape became a template for the Basque pintxo, one mouthful fastened with a stick, not a mixed skewer loaded until it loses its name.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
salted anchovy fillets in olive oil
Quantity
12 fillets, about 45g drained
drained but not rinsed
pitted manzanilla olives
Quantity
12 olives, about 50g drained
drained
pickled guindilla de Ibarra peppers or piparras
Quantity
6 peppers, about 45g drained
stems trimmed, halved
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| salted anchovy fillets in olive oildrained but not rinsed | 12 fillets, about 45g drained |
| pitted manzanilla olivesdrained | 12 olives, about 50g drained |
| pickled guindilla de Ibarra peppers or piparrasstems trimmed, halved | 6 peppers, about 45g drained |
| extra virgin olive oilto finish | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •12 short wooden pintxo skewers or cocktail sticks
- •Small sieve
- •Kitchen paper
Instructions
- 1
Drain with care
Drain the olives and guindillas in a small sieve, then blot them lightly with kitchen paper. Drain the anchovies from the tin or jar, but do not rinse them. The brine from the olive and pepper should not wash the anchovy flat; the anchovy should stay glossy with oil, not swim in vinegar.
If the anchovies are harshly salty, wipe them gently with oiled kitchen paper. Don't soak them in water; you paid for anchovy, not a tired strip of fish. - 2
Cut the guindillas
Trim off the stems and cut each guindilla in half to make 12 pieces, each about 4 to 5 cm long. If the peppers are very large, cut them smaller. Gilda wants a prickle, not a punishment, and the pepper should not drown the anchovy.
- 3
Fold the anchovies
Lay the anchovy fillets on a plate. If a fillet is long, fold it loosely once, like a ribbon. If it is small, leave it whole. Keep the fillets intact; broken anchovy turns a clean pintxo into a mess.
- 4
Skewer each Gilda
For each skewer, spear one olive, then one end of an anchovy fillet, then a piece of guindilla folded once, then the other end of the anchovy so it hugs the pepper. Repeat until you have 12 gildas. The bite should be compact enough to eat whole, not a little tower you have to dismantle.
- 5
Oil and serve
Set the gildas on a small plate and spoon over the extra virgin olive oil. Let them sit five minutes so the oil catches the salt and vinegar, then serve cool or at room temperature. Not fridge-cold; cold dulls the oil and makes the anchovy stiff.
Chef Tips
- •Buy Cantabrian anchovies in olive oil if you can. They should be flexible, meaty, and cleanly salty. Boquerones en vinagre, the white vinegar-cured anchovies, belong to another pintxo.
- •Guindilla de Ibarra, or piparra, gives the right mild heat and grassy vinegar bite. If you can't find it, use mild pepperoncini or pickled banana pepper strips, cut smaller; the flavour will be rounder and less sharp.
- •Use a firm green olive, manzanilla first, gordal if that is what you can get. Black olives turn the bite heavy and sweet. This one wants green brine and salt.
- •These are best made shortly before serving. If they must wait, cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours, then let them stand 10 minutes before the table so the oil loosens again.
Advance Preparation
- •Drain the olives and guindillas up to 2 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
- •Keep the anchovies in their oil until you assemble. Once drained, they dry quickly.
- •Assemble up to 4 hours ahead if needed, cover, refrigerate, and bring out 10 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 14g)
Calories
35 calories
Total Fat
3.3 g
Saturated Fat
0.5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2.7 g
Cholesterol
3 mg
Sodium
250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
0.4 g
Dietary Fiber
0.2 g
Sugars
0.1 g
Protein
1.2 g
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