Sagardi is a Basque tapas place. Basque tapas, called pinchos, rate among the best in Barcelona because they originated in the tapas mecca, Pais Vasco (Basque Country).
Barcelona is located in Catalunia.
Basque tapas are called pinxtos/pinchos (Basque/Castilian) because they're poked on a toothpick. Pincho comes from the verb pinchar, which means to poke or stab. These toothpicks are important to save because the bar staff counts them at the end to figure out your bill. At Sagardi, each toothpick was 1.90 euros.
Unlike tapas, which just refers to a small plate of food, pinchos are always served on toasted baguette and can be eaten in a few bites. Also, you don't order pinchos, but select what you like off the serving platters.
Banderillas are pickled pinchos not served on bread.
Since la comida is the biggest meal of the day, I decided to have a second plate of pinchos, since I was still hungry and there were so many delicious choices at Sagardi. I loved seeing all the options in person and picking what I wanted without having to wait to officially order it.
The plates of pinchos were refilled pretty frequently and new ones were introduced. For example, the plate with all the wispy bits (fried leeks) was brought out as I was finishing. I think it was fried leeks on top of tuna on a pinchillo pepper. Unfortunately, I was at the perfect point of being just full enough, so I didn't feel like trying anything else.
1) Red pincho in the back
Pimiento del Piquillo Relleno (Stuffed Piquillo Pepper)
The sweet piquillo pepper means "little beak" in Spanish and is grown in Northern Spain in Lodosa, a city in Pais Vasco. Piquillo peppers are roasted and canned and are a popular ingredient in Spanish dishes such as paella, Romesco sauce, and ensalada Russa.
Relleno means stuffed, and this pepper was stuffed with tuna. The taupe colored squiggle was anchovy purée and the little green rings were guindillas (pickled chili peppers). The smooth texture and sweet flavor of the piquillo pepper contrasted nicely with the clean ocean flavor of the tuna.
2) Peach colored pincho
Salmon Fumado sobre Atún
Smoked salmon on top of tuna pâté with a topping of capers. The capers perked up the flavors with their acidity.
3) Guindillas con Anchoa
This banderilla was made of mini pickled chili peppers wrapped with an anchovy and topped off with 2 green olives. The salty anchovy was a nice foil for the pungent peppers. Banderillas (pickled pinchos not served on bread) make nice palate cleansers.
4) Bacalao al Pil-Pil
Warm cod with a garlic-olive oil emulsion. This combination is a classic in Pais Vasco and amazingly delicious—definitely my favorite. Pil-pil is Basque onomatopoeia for bubbling.
I researched how to make pil-pil and discovered that it's a tricky sauce to master. First, garlic is fried in olive oil and removed when golden. Then de-salted cod is placed skin side up in the oil. The oil must be warm, not hot, because the fish must cook very slowly so that an emulsion is created. By swirling the pan around, sloshing the oil over the skin, the cod's gelatin slowly oozes into the oil and creates an emulsion. After 15-20 minutes, the emulsion should be complete, the garlic is added back, and the cod is ready to be consumed with the pil-pil.
This site has great step-by-step photos if you want to try making tasty bacalao al pil-pil: http://www.plateruena.com/
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