Germán Sitz and Patricio Negro teach us how to prepare tapas at home

There are only four days left to enjoy Tapeando, the festival that celebrates Spanish gastronomy, and we don’t want you to miss out on having some tapas. So, we asked chefs Germán Sitz from Paquito in Buenos Aires and Patricio Negro from Furia in Mar del Plata to share ideas for making tapas at home, inspired by their favorite Spanish city.

If cooking isn’t your strong suit, don’t worry: both recipes are easy to prepare and perfect for impressing friends when you invite them over for a meal.

Pickled Mussels by Germán Sitz

When Germán Sitz, chef and owner of Paquito, thinks about his trips to Spain, he immediately thinks about eating great mussels. “In Spain, they consume mussels a lot. When I go to Madrid, I always order them at a little restaurant on the corner, a brewery and seafood place called El Doble, which has incredible canned mussels,” he told us. To honor this place he loves, and also Madrid, he shares this recipe for you to try at home.

These pickled mussels turn out amazing, and they’re easier to make than you might think. You can eat them on toast or snack on them straight from the fridge whenever you want to feel like you’re in Madrid for a while.

You'll need 350 g of fresh mussels, along with a few more ingredients. Here’s how to make them:

• To prepare the pickling sauce, heat a pot with 150 cc of olive oil and 20 g of peeled garlic until it starts to brown. Then add 8 g of smoked paprika, 2 g of annatto, 1 g of pepper, 1 bay leaf, and remove from heat.
• Once it cools down, add 90 ml of apple cider vinegar, 70 g of mussels, and 150 cc of pear cider that has been boiled to evaporate the alcohol. If you have a Thermomix, process it on speed 6 for 5 minutes at 48 degrees; if not, you can use a food processor or hand blender.
• Finally, add the rest of the whole mussels (350 g in total) and let them sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

Maybe on your next trip to Madrid, you can do as Germán does and sit at a little table at El Doble to try not just their canned mussels but also their seafood and dishes (the anchovies are a must), paired with a well-drawn draft beer. This iconic bar recommended by the chef from Paquito is located in the Chamberí neighborhood, on the famous Ponzano street.

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Don’t know it? It’s THE trendy gastronomic street, frequented from breakfast until dinner and beyond. Ponzano stretches for one kilometer and is home to around 50 bars and restaurants, so it’s worth walking through and popping into whichever place catches your eye. A little tip: this street has its own website, where you can browse the food spots.

The best part is that you can combine the culinary offering with cultural activities because just a stone's throw away you’ll find the Canal Theaters, Teatro Amaya, Canal de Isabel II Exhibition Hall, the Geominero Museum, and Santander Park: all hidden gems that Madrid has to offer and deserve a visit.

And while you're in Chamberí, here's a little-known gem for tourists: the "ghost station." But don’t worry, nothing supernatural is involved. The current Chamberí Museum Station, in the heart of Chamberí Square, is where the Madrid Metro was born, with its first line inaugurated by Alfonso XII in 1919. The Chamberí station closed in 1966 but has now been turned into an underground museum. Walking down its stairs is like traveling back in time to experience old Madrid, with its 1920s posters, antique turnstiles, and traditional Sevillian tiles, all original elements from the era.

Did you just take a mini trip to Madrid with Germán? Well, buckle up because now we’re heading to San Sebastián...

Anchovy with Fish Brandade on Sourdough Bread by Patricio Negro

Patricio Negro, the head chef of Furia in Mar del Plata, spent a few years in San Sebastián working at the famous Martín Berasategui restaurant, with three Michelin stars. When he thinks back to that time, his taste buds are reminded of anchovies.

“Anchovies and brandade are two essential ingredients in San Sebastián, and they are part of the traditional tapas and the most popular among locals. And luckily, in Mar del Plata, we have excellent anchovies and fish,” he shared with us, offering a step-by-step guide to make this tapa at home.

Ready? First, we’ll prepare the anchovy, then the brandade, and finally assemble the tapa:

For the anchovy

• Clean 500 g of anchovies and separate the fillets. Dry them well and place them on a medium-sized tray with the skin facing up.
• In a bowl, mix 400 g of alcohol vinegar, 150 g of salt, and 100 g of water. Submerge the anchovies in this mixture for 30 minutes.
• Then remove them, dry them thoroughly, and store them in extra virgin olive oil.

For the brandade

• Place 500 g of fresh hake on a tray, add salt and pepper to taste, two garlic cloves (peeled and sliced), 100 g of white wine, and 50 g of olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, discard the foil, and place the mixture in a food processor, adding the cooking liquid. Process in batches until you achieve a creamy texture.

Now, let's assemble the tapa to make it extra gourmet

• Take a slice of sourdough bread and toast it. Seal it with plenty of butter in a pan. Once you remove it from the pan, while it’s still hot, add a few drops of lemon juice.
• Spread the brandade on the bread, add an anchovy, and finish with chopped chives and olive oil. It’s finger-licking good!

You might also be interested: Martín Lukesch and Pol Lykan talk to us about their love for Spanish cuisine

San Sebastián, the city with 18 Michelin stars

The people of Donosti, as they call the city, love good food. The best part is, you don’t have to go to a super expensive restaurant to appreciate the local cuisine, because even the tiniest pintxos bar will have a wide variety of delicious options.

Pintxos are small bites of high-end cuisine, showcasing the best of Basque gastronomy. They include the region’s typical ingredients: lots of fish, seafood, cured meats, and canned goods, and come in both cold and hot versions. Just walk through the streets of the Old Town to find a huge range of pintxos and choose your favorites in each bar, paired with good cider.

In the Old Town of Donosti, the pintxos bars are nestled among charming old buildings and quirky little shops. A must-visit is Constitution Plaza, where the Town Hall was located until the 1940s, and is now home to the central library. If you stand in the plaza and look around at the balconies, you’ll notice they’re numbered, marking the square's history as a bullring.

During your stroll through the Old Town, you’ll also come across the Santa María del Coro Basilica, as the narrow streets lead you straight to it, and you’ll be impressed by its facade. It’s baroque in style, though it also incorporates Gothic and Renaissance elements.

You’ll notice that this area is small, so it’s easy to explore on foot. The boundaries? Mount Urgull, which you can hike for a nature walk, and the port, which also offers a lovely stroll to breathe in the sea air and watch boats and fishermen. The iconic La Concha seaside promenade ends at the port, offering beautiful views.

So now you know: Tapeando 2025 ends in four days, but it leaves you with plenty of ideas and inspiration, both for making tapas at home and planning your next trip to Spain. Enjoy!