Today Javier Vinacua is the most familiar face at the Fitero, although this long-standing bar was founded on 6 July 1956 by Cesareo Luis and Elvira Beorlegui, grandparents of Javier’s wife, Arantxa Luis. It was his mother-in-law, Esther Azqueta Arteta who brought a breath of fresh air to the pintxos served in this establishment, well-known for its excellent seafood until the 80s. The Fitero has now become one of the bars to have won most prizes at the different miniature cuisine competitions, holding several awards for the most healthy pintxo and others for best pintxo made with produce from Navarre (asparagus, piquillo peppers, etc.), a fine advertisement for this locale also recognised for its traditional dishes (snails, salt cod ajoarriero, mussels in tomato…) and hugely popular fritters made with fabulous béchamel sauce, freshly cooked to order.
PINTXOS
- Stuffed cardoon (Pintxo Fitero)
- Filomena (tongue, garlic shoot, prawn, béchamel sauce)
- Gizzards in brick pastry with black porcini mushrooms
- Salt cod ravioli
- Swiss chard stem stuffed with ham, cheese and onion
- Iberian pork shoulder with black mushroom
- Pig’s trotter stuffed with black pudding, sultanas and pine nuts
- Roquefort cheese croquette
- Pepper fritter
- Spinach & prawn croquette
RECIPE
Red tuna toast with piquillo pepper and strawberry dressing
INGREDIENTS
- Red tuna
- Piquillo pepper from Lodosa
- Courgette
- Fruits of the forest
- Bread
- Virgin arbequina olive oil, D.O. Navarra
- Sherry vinegar
PREPARATION
Before assembling the pintxo, finely slice the tuna and marinate in sherry vinegar for 2 hours.
Briefly fry the piquillo pepper from Lodosa and leave to cool.
Finely slice the courgette (using a machine if possible) and blanch for two minutes in boiling water.
Finally, prepare an alioli, replacing the garlic with chopped fruits of the forest, which can change depending on the season (here we mostly use strawberries).
TO SERVE:
Place a slice of marinated tuna on a slice of bread. Top with the piquillo pepper and a slice of blanched courgette. Finally, coat the pintxo with the fruits of the forest dressing.
NOTE: this pintxo won two prizes at the Navarre Pintxo Week in 2011: Healthiest Pintxo and Best Pintxo made with Piquillo Pepper from Lodosa.
PAIRINGS
