Guindillas are long, thin Basque Capsicum annuum peppers from Ibarra, picked green and pickled in vinegar, and famous in the Gilda pintxo. In wider Spain the word also means small dried red chillies.
What it is¶
Guindilla means two related things in Spain. In the Basque Country it is above all the guindilla de Ibarra (Ibarrako piperrak in Basque): a long, slender, thin-walled Capsicum annuum pepper, 8–12 cm long and barely a centimetre across, picked while pale yellow-green and pickled in white wine vinegar. These are mild, roughly 1,000–2,000 SHU, and are eaten as a nibble with beer, beside a bowl of beans or skewered into pintxos.
Elsewhere in Spain, guindilla is also the everyday word for a small hot red chilli, usually dried, of the kind that goes whole into gambas al ajillo or a pan of garlic and olive oil. These are considerably hotter and are not a single variety; they behave much like árbol or other thin dried red chillies. This page is mainly about the Basque pickling pepper, with the dried form covered in the kitchen notes.
Origins and history¶
The guindilla de Ibarra takes its name from the village of Ibarra in the Tolosaldea district of Gipuzkoa, where it has been grown in small plots along the Oria valley for generations. The mild, damp Basque climate suits it, and the traditional crop is harvested by hand from summer into autumn, while the pods are still green and tender. Guindillas grown and packed in the area can carry the Basque Eusko Label quality mark.
The pepper's most famous role dates from the mid-twentieth century. The Gilda, a pintxo of a guindilla, a salted anchovy and a green olive on a cocktail stick, is usually credited to the bar Casa Vallés in San Sebastián in the 1940s and named after Rita Hayworth's 1946 film Gilda: like the character, it was said to be green, salty and a little spicy. The story is well established locally, though, as with many food origins, it rests on tradition rather than documents.
Flavour and aroma¶
Pickled guindillas are sharp and tangy from the vinegar, with a fresh, grassy green-pepper flavour, a crisp-tender bite and a gentle heat that builds a little over a few pieces. Fresh guindillas, fried in olive oil and salted like Padrón peppers, are sweeter and softer, with a mild, green warmth. Dried red guindillas taste mostly of clean, sharp heat.
In the kitchen¶
Pickled guindillas¶
- The Gilda: thread a guindilla (folded if long), a good salted anchovy fillet and a Manzanilla olive on a stick, and drizzle with a little olive oil. It is the archetypal pintxo, eaten in one bite with a glass of txakoli or vermouth.
- With beans: the classic partner to alubias de Tolosa, the dark red-black beans of the same district, stewed with pork, chorizo and cabbage. A few pickled guindillas on the side cut the richness.
- Salads and boards: with tuna, tomatoes and onion; beside cheese, charcuterie and tortilla.
Fresh guindillas¶
In season, the fresh green peppers are fried whole in plenty of olive oil for two or three minutes until blistered and soft, then salted and eaten as a tapa.
Dried red guindillas¶
One or two whole dried chillies, fried gently with sliced garlic in olive oil, are the base of gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns), pil-pil and many simple pasta and vegetable dishes. Break them open for more heat, and lift them out before the garlic browns. See infusing oils.
💡 Rinse or not
Pickled guindillas straight from the jar are quite sharp. For a softer flavour alongside beans, rinse and pat dry, then dress with a little olive oil and flaky salt.
Buying and storing¶
For Ibarra guindillas look for jars with the Eusko Label or a Basque origin; imported "guindillas" are often a different, tougher pepper. Unopened jars keep for a year or more. Once opened, keep the peppers submerged in their vinegar in the fridge and use within a month or two. Dried red guindillas keep airtight in the dark for up to a year.
Substitutes¶
- Pepperoncini: the Italian-American pickled pepper, similar in heat and tang, a little fleshier.
- Pickled banana peppers or mild Hungarian wax peppers, sliced.
- Fresh: Padrón or shishito peppers for frying.
- Dried: chile de árbol, small bird's eye chillies (hotter) or a pinch of chilli flakes.
Pairs well with¶
Anchovies, olives, tuna, salt cod, prawns, white and red beans, chorizo, pork, garlic, olive oil, eggs, tomato, cheese and dry white wine or vermouth.
Growing your own¶
Guindillas are easy C. annuum plants that crop freely even in cool summers. Sow indoors in February–March at 20–25°C, grow on and plant out after the last frost in a sunny, sheltered spot, or grow in a greenhouse or large pots. Plants reach 60–90 cm and carry dozens of long, slim pods. Pick green when 8–12 cm long for pickling or frying; picking regularly encourages more flowers. Left on the plant, pods ripen red and become hotter. For quick pickles, pack washed pods into a sterilised jar and cover with hot white wine vinegar brine (about 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water with 1 tbsp salt per 500 ml). See growing chillies.