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Txistorra is a thin, bright red Basque and Navarrese fresh sausage made from coarsely minced pork, garlic, and generous quantities of sweet and hot paprika, giving it an intensely vivid color and a spiced, fatty richness that cooks in mere minutes. Unlike thicker chorizo, txistorra is usually eaten the day it is made - quickly fried, grilled, or cooked in a pan until the casing blisters and the fat renders, filling the kitchen with an irresistible smoky paprika aroma. It is the quintessential pintxo ingredient in the Basque Country, coiled on bread, tucked into bocadillos, or served alongside scrambled eggs at Saturday morning family breakfasts. The best txistorra comes from Alsasua in Navarre and the villages of Gipuzkoa.
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Servings
4 srv
Difficulty
Easy
Calories
425 kcal
Per serving
Remove the txistorra from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking so it cooks evenly.
Cut the sausage into serving portions of 8-10 cm, or leave whole for serving on a long platter.
Heat a dry frying pan or cast iron griddle over medium-high heat - no extra oil is needed as txistorra is very fatty.
Add the txistorra to the pan; it will immediately begin to sizzle and render fat.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning regularly, until the casing is blistered and slightly charred in places and the sausage is cooked through.
Serve immediately on sliced crusty bread as pintxos, or alongside scrambled eggs and crusty bread for a full meal.
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