Hot Jilda From NYC’s Txikito

Chef Alex Raij’s new take on a classic Spanish pintxo hits every note with salt, smoke, and tangy pickled onions.

8

15 minutes

By Ellen Fort

Published on March 29, 2023

By Ellen Fort

Published on March 29, 2023

It’s always Snacky Hour somewhere, at least according to snack-obsessed SAVEUR senior editor Ellen Fort. Follow along as she discovers the best bites that fall outside the confines of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Savory, salty, spicy, sweet, sour: everything’s fair game during Snacky Hour.

The Gilda has been a staple in the Basque canon of pintxos for decades, putting together an olive, anchovy, and pickled Guindilla pepper on a skewer for the ultimate savory bite. Alex Raij, chef of NYC’s Txikito, has added her own version to the menu, known as a Hot Jilda. “It’s a banderilla, a little savory skewer of pierced salty things that are more than the sum of their parts,” says Raij. Her version skewers a Manzanilla olive, house-pickled onion, cornichon, and a lightly crisped Japanese sausage (“like kielbasa but juicier”), served with a dollop of spicy mustard (the chef recommends S&B Hot Mustard).

“This is [Gilda’s] imaginary Japanese exchange student brother, staying with a Basque family,” says Raij. At Txikito, diners are recommended to pair these with a glass of vermut, a cold beer, or a Martini.

Note: If Guindilla peppers aren’t found at your local grocer, they can be found online here or Spanish importers like Donostia; sausages and Chinese mustard can be found at your local Asian grocer, or Umamicart.