The prawn skewers from Bar Goiz Argi are legendary in San Sebastian. Covered in a delicious tangy vinaigrette of tiny diced peppers they are a must-pintxo on most tours through the Old Town.
Best pintxos of San Sebastian
Squeeze into the tiny bar (it is often packed), and you will see up on the wall, a large bright orange certificate from the Michelin Starred List: La Brocheta de Gamba.
Bar Goiz Argi‘s Brocheta de Gamba – is one of the 99 Best Pintxos of San Sebastian.
And this has been voted by a panel of Michelin starred chefs: Juan Mari y Elena Arzak (Arzak), Pedro Subijana (Akelarre), Martín Berasategui (Martín Berasategui), Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz), Hilario Arbelaitz (Zuberoa), Gorka Txapartegi (Alameda), Rubén Trincado (El Mirador de Ulia), Aitor Arregi (Elkano), Paulo Airaudo (Amelia) y Dani López (Kokotxa).
Similar Pintxo: Recipe for Hake & Citrus Mayo
Bar Goiz Argi
Bar Goiz Argi is a small pintxo bar very close to the Bretxa market, at the start of Fermin Calbeton Kalea, and the beginning of El Parte Vieja, making it a perfect place to begin any pintxo crawl.
Of course you’ll find many other delicious cold and hot pintxos stacked on the countertop: croquetas, txangurro spider crab tartlets, stuffed mushrooms, fried piparras.
The Prawn Skewer is the House Speciality
But it’s the prawn skewer and jardiniere vinaigrette, that is the house speciality and a reason why many people come to Bar Goiz Argi on their pintxo tour San Sebastian.
What’s all the fuss?
The Prawn Skewers, at first glance are simple: Five small langoustines are skewered with pieces of bacon, griddled, then drizzled with a vinaigrette of finely diced green and red peppers, spring onion, carrot, oil and sherry vinegar and served on a slice of bread.
Don’t underestimate its simplicity. The brilliance of this pintxo is keeping the prawns juicy and tender, the bacon crispy and salty, and the whole pintxo dripping in the wonderfully sweet yet sharp vinaigrette.
Pintxo recipe
Thanks to my good friend, Josean Arruza, I’ve been eating the prawn skewers at Bar Goiz since the 1990s. Normally Josean will go into the bar, order a plate of them, and we will eat them stood up at the tiny tables outside and wash them down with a cold zurito (a very small beer) before moving onto the next bar.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to replicate these pintxos at home. Earlier this year, at a week-long pintxo cooking class at La Escuela de Luiz Irizar, I learnt how to make one of my favourite pintxos.
Pintxo recipes books like The Pintxo Trail (first edition) also have this recipe.
Here’s how:
