Pintxos:  Bar foods with toothpicks

Salmon pintxos are one of a seemingly infinite variety of small foods served on bread. Pintxos, also spelled pinchos, are bar foods served in northern Spain. Somewhat smaller than tapas, and usually served on bread as finger food, their name comes from the Basque word for the toothpicks used to skewer them. It’s common for different colored toothpicks to indicate pricing, with the collection of toothpicks tallied up at the end of the meal. But cheaters who hide their toothpicks are likely to find themselves caught by sharp-eyed staff. A tour guide described to me his embarrassment when one of his group was caught slipping toothpicks from the foods he’d consumed into a pocket. It took profuse apologies and some cash to smooth the ensuing ruckus and avoid involvement with the police.

Lightly Smoked Salmon: Smoky flavor without a grill

You don’t need to be in the Mediterranean to enjoy pintxos. Perfect for late summer and fall, smoky salmon pintxos make an elegant snack, small meal, or party food. No recipe is needed to create them, just quality ingredients and a little creativity.

Lightly roasted salmon was a discovery for me. It’s available as two-pack fillets that can be used immediately or frozen. Different from fresh unsmoked salmon, lightly smoked salmon is also not the same as cured smoked salmon – it is raw and needs to be cooked. The smoky aroma is apparant as soon as the packaging is opened, and the salmon fillets can be pan-seared, baked, broiled, or poached.

Smoky Salmon Pintxos: No recipe needed

Once lightly smoked salmon is cooked to your taste, it can be served chilled or warm. Cut it into slices or chunks, pile on crusty bread with aioli or other sauce, roasted or pickled vegetables, and fasten with a skewer.

Make as many variations as you like, keeping garnishes colorful. And no need to count the toothpicks later!