Food in the Basque region - lot's of fresh seafood and beans

Here you will find recipes to some common Basque dishes. But first let me tell you more about the food in the Basque region.

First one has to make a distinction between the food in the Spanish and the French part of the Basque country. There are quite a few differences between the two “cuisines”. Since I live in Bilbao I will share with you my culinary experience from here.

The Basque cuisine is known world wide; part of its secret is the high quality ingredients that are used.

Food in the Basque region: Fish is the number one ingredient “per excellence”

The sea and the Basque people have been connected since the beginning of times. The nearness to the Bay of Biscay makes it easy to understand why sea food is the star ingredient in some traditional dishes.

Many of these require a long time to prepare. If you are in Bilbao I recommend you to visit a Basque restaurant and you get all the pleasure with no work. Food in the Basque region will offer you some new experiences.

Well, there doesn't really seem to be just one official recipe. Every chef seems to have a personal variety of this dish.

Marmitako (tuna)
This dish with a funny name is made of white tuna, potatoes and fresh tomatoes. According to my friend Nagore this is a typical dish that Basque fishermen used to prepare when they went out whale hunting.

Bacalao al Pil-Pil (cod)
This is one of “the” most famous dishes here in Bilbao. It is prepared from dried, salted cod. The cod has to be desalted during a day and a half before using it (and the water changed ever 8 hours). It is prepared in a sauce made of garlic and olive oil. It is supposed to be a true art to prepare it. Honestly, I do not like it too much, even though people here see it as a real delicatessen.

Bacalao a la Vizcaina (cod)
Another dish made from dried cod. It is prepared in a red sauce made of dried peppers, onion and Serrano ham. The sauce is simmered for about three hours.

In the grocery stores you can actually buy frozen squid ink. Isn’t that an exotic ingredient!

Porrusalda (cod)
Creamy soup made of potato, leek, onion and cod. Has plenty of olive oil and garlic. It’s perfect to warm up on a cold, rainy day.

Angulas (baby eel)
This dish is literally worth gold! This delicatessen, called Angulas, are baby eels. Prepared with extra virgin olive oil and garlic they are served on very special occasions such as Christmas Eve.

The price is prohibitive. For one kilo you would have to pay about 800-900 Euros. That's right, it is not a typo! Needless to say they are sold by the gram, not by kilo.

I did eat it once in a friends house, luckily I was unaware about the price, so I just ate them without to much fuss. Personally, for that kind of money I could think of more interesting things to do.

Food in the Basque region: Beans and lentils

Before I came to Bilbao I didn’t know beans and lentils could be so delicious. Where I come from these little gems are slightly frowned upon and seen as boring health food (no offence, I love healthy food).

Here they are a part of the traditional cuisine. In every Basque restaurant and home you can find a great variety of bean and lentil soups. These dishes normally include fresh vegetables and different kinds of meat such as chorizo, bacon and sausage (there goes the healthy…).

To prepare these soups you either need a lot of time or a really potent steam cooker.

My friend Maika is a real wizard at preparing these delicious dishes. A favourite in her kitchen is a red bean soup (Alubias de Tolosa). Click here to see her recipe.

Food in the Basque region is supposed to be one of the healthiest in the world. Why don't you try for yourself.

Food in the Basque region is known for its high quality ingredients. If you are in Bilbao make sure to pop by the food market “La Ribera”