Txangurro a la donostiarra david de jorge

Txangurro that is

Chefs also like to go out for pintxos or meet again at tables they are fans of. Mythical places like ‘Ganbara’, the ‘Bodega Donostiarra’, ‘Zuberoa’ or ‘Elkano’ are among the favorites; but there are also many surprises among their recommendations.

Well, the Torres brothers, among gildas, indurains or octopus and prawn brochettes at ‘La Bodega Donostiarra’. And Diego Guerrero (‘DSTAgE’) in San Jerónimo street at the doors of ‘Ganbara’ trying to have one of his famous pintxos. Nearby, Paco Morales (‘Noor’) salivating while waiting for his favorite tapa: «From ‘Ganbara’ I’ll take the sautéed mushrooms with the egg yolk and the grilled foie and from ‘La Bodega Donostiarra’, their ensaladilla and their gildas. Crazy, not to like!». Another of the ‘Ganbara’ faithful, Ramón Freixa, recommends «the crab croissant and the amanitas with egg yolk». Because when it comes to pintxos, everyone has their own top ten.

David de Jorge can be found at ‘Eme Be’, Martín Berasategui’s second brand: «It’s the place I go to most in the city, the one that makes me happiest. I go with my friends, my family, with the people I love; I feel really at ease there, in that casual, Basque-Scandinavian atmosphere, it’s a real highlight. And at night it’s really beautiful. To drink a proper craft beer, he recommends ‘La Mala Gissona’ in the Gros area, where they serve delicious hamburgers: «They make one called Django that is the bomb».

Robinfood / baked txangurro + grilled lobster

To start somehow with this tremendous «ceremony of confusion», I can’t think of anything else but to use academicism and various definitions. Let me explain, this is about the confusion that surrounds the spider crab, spider crab… or maybe I should include in this list the crab.

Here the first doubt arises, since the RAE refers to a specific preparation, the one popularly known as txangurro a la donostiarra. A dish from the early twentieth century that has endured over time. There are still restaurants where it is a specialty.

In Basque the spider crab is called txangurru and the crab is called buia or petaka. Nobody knows why, but the Basque name of the spider crab has gone to the edible crab, creating a mess of agárrate aqui Mari Loli. We recommend to rewind everything and start calling each animal by its name. Spider crab/txangurru (not txangurro) and crab/buia or petaka.

My bewilderment continues to grow when I see, in the Robin Food program (No. 102. Croquetas de txangurro), David de Jorge with a huge crab in his hand commenting in the introduction of the program: … I get txangurros in the garden… holding this hand I have a wonderful petaka, txangurro or whatever you want to call it, crab or whatever you want… Wasn’t the crab a crustacean wrongly called txangurro and the spider crab another crustacean rightly called txangurru? It is true that David leaves it open to any interpretation when he says …or whatever you want.

Robinfood / txangurro a la donostiarra + turbot from

Today we live in different times, so we sit at a table surrounded by the «Belle Époque pink» of a superb dining room divided in heights and elaborate railings collected in soft English-style backrests that allow the gaze to rest from the curvilinear and flowery rhythm of mirrors and curtains. The cook, who is me and who always wanted to feel like a well-off bourgeoisie from Barcelona’s Ensanche, follows Pere’s detailed description of the time when his father set to work hiring a professional to carry out his meticulous plans, which were none other than to cook by listening to the dictates of the market in permanent dialogue with the client, the true protagonist of the adventure. The editor, who shows evidence of slight enthusiasm as he undoes that button that hides the knot of his tie, asks about the treasure hidden in the dungeons of the establishment, very select national and foreign bottles, cared for and offered to the customers who deserve them.

Finish with Cuban tobacco in the lounges on the upper floor and drink old distillates with an affected gesture to «bring the past to mind», as the good Ignacio Marco Aurelio Peyró advises in his celebrated «Meditations» commercially entitled «We ate and drank», what a filibuster!

Robinfood / baked txangurro + grilled lobster

Fed up with the insipid tapas that we eat every day at the office? It’s finally time to forget about them, no more reheated vegetable dishes and the monotonous salad that we take to work so as not to waste a minute of our time.

We prepare a classic ajoblanco, smooth, made with good almonds, as Dani García does in his restaurant. On the other hand, we empty the clove of a black garlic and fill it with herring roe sprinkled with a pinch of lemon juice. To serve, cold, we put the ajoblanco on a deep bowl and place the black garlic on top. Light and at the same time forceful.

The chef of La Terraza del Casino has reinvented the ensaladilla in his Estado Puro restaurants, dedicated almost exclusively to tapas. Potatoes, carrots, artichoke and cooked or canned peas are the base of this popular salad. The curious thing here is Roncero’s way of making the mayonnaise, for which the yolks and half an egg white are used at first. The rest of the egg whites are beaten until stiff. Both preparations are mashed together with canned bonito, its oil and boiled potatoes. The final sauce is much creamier than those of other Russian salads.