Chef Isabel
Almussafes Valenciano
Almussafes is Valencian bar-counter food: a crusty roll filled with sobrasada, cheese, and onion, then pressed on the plancha until the bread crisps and the filling runs together.
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Bikini Barceloní
Created by
The Barcelona bikini is Catalan bar food at its plainest: white bread, jamón dulce, melting cheese, butter, and gentle heat until the crust crisps and the middle runs.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Spanish
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
5 min
Active Time
8 min cook•13 min total
Yield2 sandwiches
The bikini is Barcelona's ham-and-cheese toastie, Catalan in its everyday habit and not the same thing as a bocadillo. It uses soft square bread, jamón dulce, a mild melting cheese, and butter on the outside, then it is pressed on the griddle until the bread goes crisp and the cheese softens all the way through.
The method that decides it is the heat. Too high and the bread burns before the cheese has moved an inch. Keep the pan moderate, press it gently, and give it time. You want a thin, even crust and a molten centre, not a toasted roof over cold cheese. It is a small thing, so there is nowhere to hide.
If you are far from Barcelona, use good cooked ham and a mild cheese that melts cleanly, like Havarti, young Gouda, or Edam. It will not taste exactly like a bikini from a Barcelona cafe, but it will behave properly in the pan. No hace falta haber pisado España. Butter both outside faces, weigh the filling, and cook it slowly. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
The bikini belongs to Barcelona, where the toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich took its name from the Sala Bikini, a well-known leisure venue on Avinguda Diagonal that served it under that name. Elsewhere in Spain the same family of sandwich is usually called a sandwich mixto, but in Catalonia, and especially in Barcelona, bikini became the word people used at bars, cafes, and at home. Its place is everyday urban cooking: quick, cheap, warm, and reliable.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
soft white sandwich bread
Quantity
4 slices, about 120g total
jamón dulce or good cooked ham
Quantity
80g
thinly sliced
mild melting cheese, such as Havarti, young Gouda, Edam, or queso de barra
Quantity
80g
thinly sliced
unsalted butter
Quantity
30g
softened
fine salt (optional)
Quantity
a tiny pinch
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| soft white sandwich bread | 4 slices, about 120g total |
| jamón dulce or good cooked hamthinly sliced | 80g |
| mild melting cheese, such as Havarti, young Gouda, Edam, or queso de barrathinly sliced | 80g |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 30g |
| fine salt (optional) | a tiny pinch |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy frying pan, plancha, or sandwich press
- •Wide spatula
- •Small board and sharp knife
Instructions
- 1
Build the sandwiches
Lay out the bread and divide the ham and cheese evenly between two slices: 40g ham and 40g cheese for each bikini. Keep the filling flat and just inside the edges so it melts neatly instead of leaking out at once. Close with the remaining bread.
- 2
Butter the outside
Spread the softened butter thinly over the two outside faces of each sandwich, right to the corners. Add only a tiny pinch of salt if your butter is unsalted and the ham is mild. The butter is what gives the bread its fine, even crust, so do not leave the edges bare.
- 3
Griddle gently
Set a heavy frying pan or plancha over medium-low heat. Put in the sandwiches and press them lightly with a spatula, another pan, or a sandwich press. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the bread is golden and crisp, then turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. If the bread darkens too fast, lower the heat; the cheese needs time.
- 4
Rest and cut
Move the bikinis to a board and let them stand for 1 minute so the cheese settles instead of running straight out. Cut each one diagonally and serve at once, while the crust is crisp and the centre is soft.
Chef Tips
- •Use soft square sandwich bread, not a crusty barra. A bikini is pressed thin and crisp; a bocadillo is another thing.
- •Jamón dulce, also called jamón de York in many shops, is the right ham here. Smoked ham makes a stronger sandwich, but it changes the gentle Barcelona cafe taste.
- •Choose a cheese that melts before the bread burns. Havarti, young Gouda, Edam, or queso de barra all behave well. A dry aged cheese tastes good but will not give you the soft centre this sandwich wants.
- •Do not rush the heat. A bikini is quick, yes, but high heat gives you brown bread and cold cheese. That is not a shortcut, just impatience.
Advance Preparation
- •You can assemble the sandwiches up to 4 hours ahead, wrap them tightly, and refrigerate them. Butter the outside just before cooking so the bread does not go damp.
- •A cooked bikini is best eaten at once. If you must reheat it, use a dry pan over low heat for a few minutes per side, never the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 145g)
Calories
410 calories
Total Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
75 mg
Sodium
850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
31 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
19 g
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