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.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Pintxo de Bacalao Confitado
Created by
This is Basque pintxo cooking: desalted bacalao held in warm olive oil with garlic and guindilla until it turns silky, then served on bread with its own glossy oil.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
18 min cook•43 min total
Yield12 pintxos
Pintxo de bacalao confitado is Basque, from the bar counters and home kitchens where a small bite still has to be cooked properly. It is not just cod on toast. It is desalted bacalao, olive oil, garlic, and guindilla held low and steady until the fish turns silky and flakes cleanly, then set on bread so the oil has somewhere to go.
The method that decides it is the heat. Keep the oil barely warm, about 65 C, so the cod poaches, not fries. If the oil bubbles hard, the fish tightens and the surface goes woolly. Low heat lets the bacalao give up a little gelatin into the oil, the same old wisdom behind pil-pil, though here we are making a pintxo, not a sauce.
If you cannot find good salt cod, use a thick fresh cod loin and salt it lightly for an hour before cooking. It will be milder and less deep, but it will still give you the right soft texture. No hace falta haber pisado España. You do need good olive oil, patience, and bread sturdy enough to carry the bite. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Bacalao belongs deeply to the Basque larder because salt cod travelled well and fed inland households long after the boats came in. Basque cooks built a whole family of dishes around it, from bacalao al pil-pil to bacalao a la vizcaína, using garlic, olive oil, peppers, and the fish's own gelatin to make richness from preserved fish. The pintxo is the Basque way of serving a cooked bite on bread or a small plate, especially in Donostia and Bilbao, where the counter is a serious kitchen in miniature.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
desalted bacalao loin
Quantity
450g
patted very dry
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
300ml
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
thinly sliced
dried guindilla or small dried red chilli
Quantity
1
sturdy baguette or barra slices
Quantity
12
about 1.5cm thick
roasted red pepper or piquillo peppers
Quantity
1 roasted pepper or 6 piquillos
cut into strips
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
fine salt (optional)
Quantity
only if needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| desalted bacalao loinpatted very dry | 450g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 300ml |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 4 |
| dried guindilla or small dried red chilli | 1 |
| sturdy baguette or barra slicesabout 1.5cm thick | 12 |
| roasted red pepper or piquillo pepperscut into strips | 1 roasted pepper or 6 piquillos |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| fine salt (optional) | only if needed |
Equipment Needed
- •Small heavy saucepan or sauté pan
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Wooden cocktail picks
Instructions
- 1
Check the cod
Taste a tiny flake of the desalted bacalao. It should taste seasoned, not harshly salty. Pat it very dry, then cut it into 12 neat pieces, each about the size of the bread slice. Pésalo, no lo adivines: if the cod is too thick in one place and thin in another, cut the thick part smaller so every piece cooks evenly.
If starting with salt cod, soak it in cold water in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times. Thick loin needs longer than thin tail pieces. - 2
Warm the oil
Put the olive oil, sliced garlic, and guindilla in a small pan where the cod will fit snugly in one layer. Warm over low heat until the garlic is pale gold at the edges and the oil smells sweet, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown hard or it will turn bitter.
- 3
Confit the cod
Lower the heat and slide in the bacalao. Keep the oil at about 65 C, with only the faintest movement around the fish. Cook 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flakes separate with gentle pressure but still look moist and glossy. This is the whole dish: warm oil, not frying oil.
- 4
Toast the bread
While the cod cooks, toast the bread slices until crisp at the edges but still able to take the oil. Spoon a little of the warm garlic oil over each slice. Lay a strip of roasted pepper or piquillo on top, then set a piece of cod over it.
- 5
Finish the pintxos
Spoon a few drops of the confit oil over the cod and add one slice of garlic to each piece. Finish with a little parsley if you like it, then hold each pintxo with a wooden pick. Taste before salting; bacalao usually brings enough salt with it. Serve warm or at room temperature, tal como se hace allí.
Chef Tips
- •Buy thick bacalao loin if you can. Thin tail pieces work for croquetas, but here they overcook before they turn silky.
- •A thermometer helps, but your eyes help too. The oil should shimmer and move lazily, with no hard bubbling around the fish.
- •If using fresh cod, salt 450g thick cod loin with 6g fine salt and rest it uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Rinse, dry well, and cook the same way. The flavor is gentler, so add one extra garlic clove to the oil.
Advance Preparation
- •Desalt the bacalao 1 to 2 days ahead, depending on thickness, keeping it covered in cold water in the refrigerator and changing the water several times.
- •The cod can be confited up to 6 hours ahead and kept in its oil in the refrigerator. Bring it back slowly to room temperature or barely warm it in the oil before assembling.
- •Toast the bread shortly before serving so it stays crisp under the oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 70g)
Calories
185 calories
Total Fat
10 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
15 mg
Sodium
430 mg
Total Carbohydrates
13 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
9 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Pintxos Vascos
Browse the full collection
Chef Isabel
Bilbainito
Bilbainito is Bilbao's tidy answer to the gilda: bread, mayonnaise, boiled egg, cooked prawn, and olive, speared together so the whole thing disappears in one bite.
Chef Isabel
Brocheta de Gambas Donostiarra
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.
Chef Isabel
Champiñones a la Plancha Bilbaínos
Bilbao's champiñones a la plancha are mushroom caps seared hard on a hot plancha, finished with garlic and parsley, then piled on bread while the juices are still glossy.