A "Donostiarra" Christmas dinner
- Food and drink
- 2024 Nov 13
Local Flavours and Tradition
Christmas in Donostia invites you to delve into some genuine flavours, where local produce takes centre stage on our tables.
Want to surprise your gathering with a typical Donostia dinner? Don’t know what to make? Take this down:
For a "Donostiarra" Christmas dinner, no better idea than local quality produce, brimming over with tradition and taste.
This traditional Donostia menu of ours has been designed to celebrate the very best of Basque gastronomy, for a unique culinary experience.
By way of an appetiser
Cheeses and cured meats
As a pre-dinner appetiser, some snacks before all the guests arrive, we suggest a board of cheese and cured meat. At Aitor Lasa Gaztategia you'll find a fine selection of craft cheeses, such as Idiazabal and other "latxa" sheep cheeses, with their intense, aromatic flavours.
Along with the cheese, we could add in an assortment of top-quality cured meats, as the perfect accompaniment.
Starters: Delights of Sea and Land
Txangurro or spider crab is a classic in Basque cuisine, the perfect choice for some pintxo snacks to kick off with. It is usually oven-cooked with sauté vegetables, a splash of brandy and bread crumbs. For the best seafood, you can pay a visit to the traditional markets, such as San Martín, where you'll find a selection of fresh fish and seafood, the ideal ingredients for this snack.
Red "Piquillo" Peppers with a Cod Filling
One item that is a must-have for the Donostia dinner is peppers stuffed with cod, a mixture of shredded fish, onion, garlic and peppers and tomato confit. These items are available in many food shops specialising in local canned produce, for a guarantee of top-quality ingredients and genuine flavours.
Main Course: Roast Lamb or Grilled Sea Bream
Donostia Roast Lamb
Oven-roasted lamb, marinated with herbs and cooked with a splash of txakoli wine, is a recipe that captures the very essence of Donostia's cuisine. La Bretxa market's meat stalls are the best places to find the freshest, top quality cuts of lamb. The lamb is served with roast potatoes and peppers, along with the very best of local vegetables.
Grilled Sea Bream
Alternatively, sea break is another traditional option for Christmas dinner. Grill-cooked and garnished with garlic and parsley, sea bream brings the best of the sea to the table. Go for sea bream fresh from the Basque coast for a typical delicious meal.
Are you more into meat or fish?
Desserts: Typical Fare
Goxua
"Goxua" is an excellent choice for dessert. This combination of cream, sponge, pastry cream and caramel is simple but delicious. San Sebastián's pastry shops, such as Aramendia, have perfect alternatives of this typical dessert, or other examples of sweet fare such as craft "turrón" nougat and "polvorón" powder cakes, essential components of Christmas dinner.
Pantxineta
This is puff pastry filled with cream and a layer of almonds on top, a classic of Basque confectionery. It is a simple dessert that can be made at home, but you can also find it in many pastry houses in Donostia, in individual portions or larger.
La Viña Cheesecake
Another splendid option is this famous cheesecake - you can either buy it, or make it yourself. Acclaimed worldwide for its soft creamy texture, the main features of this cheesecake are a simple recipe and its golden quasi-burnt exterior, in contrast to its soft, melt-in-mouth interior.
Which will you go for?
Final Touches: Beverages and Bits and Bobs
A fine txakoli wine is the perfect choice for a toast, or a local cider, available at specialist shops in the city. Don't forget to thrown in a plate of nut "garrapiñadas" or some "turrones" by Garrarte, traditional nougats which are a must at any Christmas celebration. If you want some chocolates or confectionery too, Bombonería Maitiana is the perfect place to look - a classic in the city since 1949.
This menu will give you the best of our local fare.
Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
