In short: Modern gildas with IGP Cecina de León + cured Manchego cheese + olive + guindilla pepper. A 5-minute pintxo that has carved out a niche alongside the classic Basque gilda. Pairing: vermouth or cold txakoli.
Table of Contents
Origin of the modern gilda with cecina and cheese
The traditional Basque gilda features anchovy, olive, and guindilla pepper — the classic "marriage." But starting in 2015, trendy bars in Donostia and Bilbao began experimenting with variations that added cured meat and cheese. The cecina and cheese gilda is the most successful of these variants.
The concept: to add meat and dairy elements to the classic gilda to make it more substantial. The result: a pintxo that also works as a mini-sandwich or hearty snack, not just a light appetizer.
Ingredients (12 pintxos)
- 12 thin slices of IGP Cecina de León
- 120 g cured Manchego cheese, diced (10 g/piece)
- 12 pitted Gordal Manzanilla green olives
- 12 Ibarra Basque guindilla peppers
- 12 wooden toothpicks
- Arbequina EVOO
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Step-by-step assembly
- Cut the cheese into ~10 g cubes (1.5 cm cube).
- Fold each slice of cecina over itself twice to form a "roll."
- Assemble the toothpick in this order: olive → cheese → rolled cecina → guindilla pepper. The olive at the bottom (stable base), the cheese in the middle, the cecina wrapped around, the guindilla at the top as a finishing touch.
- Season: Drizzle with EVOO and, optionally, flaky sea salt.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving for the oil to integrate.
Variations
With blue cheese: replace Manchego with Roquefort or Cabrales. More intense flavor, contrasting with sweet cecina.
With "marriage" anchovy: add a small Cantabrian anchovy fillet alongside the cecina. Provides a surprisingly complementary marine umami.
With quince paste: add a small piece of sweet quince paste between the cheese and cecina. A "premium" version with a sweet contrast.
With dried fig: a small piece of dried fig between the cecina and cheese. Autumnal.
Premium Bacalalo Gildas
Artisan gildas ready to serve with Cantabrian anchovies, olives, and Basque guindilla peppers. For when you want to save time.
Frequently asked questions
When did gildas with cecina and cheese appear?
What type of cecina should I use?
What cheese works best?
What kind of olives and guindillas?
Pairing?
How many pintxos per person?
To conclude
The cecina and cheese gilda is the modern pintxo par excellence: substantial, easy to assemble, and pairable with almost any vermouth or txakoli. If you've only tried the classic gilda, this modern variant deserves a place at your next appetizer.
Premium Cantabrian Anchovies
If you want to assemble your own gildas or try the cecina+anchovy "marriage," calibre 00 from Santoña.
