Basque food highlights

A selection of my top tapas and pinxtos from a brief stop off in the Basque Country last week! I always try to get a good range of the local classics and I love nothing more than a tapas bar crawl so here are the results!

1. Pulpo a la feria and seafood pinxtos at Marisquería Alfredo in Castor Urdiales. There’s nothing better than fresh octopus in the sun on the seaside and this marisquería is a famous and reliable stop for all things seafood.
2. Las Rabas (octopus tentacles) are a basque staple and one of my favourite things. They carry even more flavour than your calamari es and are best when lightly battered as they are here.
3. An artichoke pinxto from the famous Bar El Globo in Bilbao. The huge fried artichoke pairs superbly here with the Jamón Iberico.
4. Mejillones con Tomate – Mussles, here cooked in tomato, are a classic ración and Restaurante Olagarro served them up superbly on our first night. That sauce is prime territory for dipping the classic free half stale bread that seems to be a staple in all tapas bars.
5. Also from Olagarro, this is an intriguing tapa I had never tried before – an giant green pepper stuffed and filled with mushroom before being fried and wrapped in jamón for good measure!
6. Morcilla y huevos fritos – Morcilla is always translated as black pudding but I do sort of take issue with that. I can’t stand English black pudding but morcilla is a type of basque sausage that has an entirely unique flavour. It’s great mixed with some egg yolk and can be good ‘revueltos’ style (with fried potatoes and scrambled eggs). Definitely worth a try when visiting the region.
7. Various other pinxtos from Olagarro, two of which are topped with a kind of creamy mayonnaise like construction that is predominantly crayfish and prawns. I’ve only ever seen this in Bilbao and it is a must have for me.
8. These Basque tarts are relatively unknown outside of the region. Think pastel de nata crossed with a mince pie – the custard filling inside is held by a shortcrust pastry and dusted with sugar, unlike its Portuguese counterpart. This one came from the Bilbao bakery chain Bertiz. They are everywhere in the city and represent great value for money with an amazing selection of bread, cakes, and pastries.
9. Chorizo a la Sidra – Another classic Basque tapa, this time from La Taberna Entre Los Museos. This time chorizó is cooked in Basque cider and served up swimming in the juices to bring a whole new flavour to the otherwise spicy dish.
10. El Huevo Frito is a tapas bar that incorporates fried eggs into every single dish and here they served up pigs trotters in Basque sauce. I must say that I can’t recommend this one – the meat to fat ratio is not healthy!