Chef Isabel
Bicicleta Murciana (Ensaladilla sobre Rosquilla)
The Murcian bicicleta is the anchovy-free cousin of the marinera: ensaladilla rusa mounded on a crisp rosquilla de pan. Keep the salad cold and the bread dry until the last minute.
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Pa amb Oli Mallorquí
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Pa amb oli is Mallorcan, not Catalan pa amb tomàquet by another name: dense brown bread, ramellet tomato, good olive oil, salt, and the topping the table can afford.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Spanish
Quick Meal
Picnic
Outdoor Dining
10 min
Active Time
0 min cook•10 min total
Yield4 open-faced servings
Pa amb oli Mallorquí belongs to Mallorca: dense pa moreno, tomàtiga de ramellet rubbed straight into the crumb, olive oil, salt, and often cheese, olives, sobrassada, or whatever the island table sets beside it. It looks simple because it is simple. That doesn't mean vague. The bread must have body, the tomato must be juicy enough to stain it, and the oil must taste of olives, not of nothing.
The method that decides it is the rubbing. Don't slice the tomato prettily and lay it on top. Cut it across its belly and scrub the cut side over the bread until the crumb blushes red and drinks the pulp. Then oil, then salt. If you oil first, the tomato skates over the surface and never enters the bread. Small thing, whole dish.
If you can't find pa moreno where you are, use a dense country loaf or a good whole-wheat sourdough with a tight crumb, not soft sandwich bread. If there is no ramellet tomato, use the ripest small tomato you can find, or grate a good ripe tomato and spoon on only the pulp. In winter, when tomatoes taste of the fridge, make it with sobrassada and a little oil, or wait. Sourcing wins here. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Pa amb oli is one of Mallorca's everyday table foods, built from the island's brown bread, preserved tomatoes, and olive oil rather than from a formal recipe. The tomàtiga de ramellet is prized because it can be hung in clusters and kept beyond the main tomato season, giving households a rubbing tomato when fresh garden tomatoes are gone. It is related to Catalonia's pa amb tomàquet, but Mallorca's version is its own meal, usually made on pa moreno and served with local cheese, olives, cured meats, or sobrassada.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
pa moreno or dense country bread
Quantity
4 thick slices, about 320g total
cut 1.5 to 2cm thick
tomàtigues de ramellet or small ripe tomatoes
Quantity
3, about 180g total
halved across the middle
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
60ml
flaky sea salt or coarse salt
Quantity
4g
Mahón-Menorca cheese or firm sheep's cheese
Quantity
120g
thinly sliced
sobrassada de Mallorca
Quantity
120g
sliced or spread in small pieces
Mallorcan or green olives
Quantity
80g
to serve
capers or pickled green peppers (optional)
Quantity
30g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| pa moreno or dense country breadcut 1.5 to 2cm thick | 4 thick slices, about 320g total |
| tomàtigues de ramellet or small ripe tomatoeshalved across the middle | 3, about 180g total |
| extra virgin olive oil | 60ml |
| flaky sea salt or coarse salt | 4g |
| Mahón-Menorca cheese or firm sheep's cheesethinly sliced | 120g |
| sobrassada de Mallorcasliced or spread in small pieces | 120g |
| Mallorcan or green olivesto serve | 80g |
| capers or pickled green peppers (optional) | 30g |
Equipment Needed
- •Bread knife
- •Small board
- •Spoon or oil cruet
Instructions
- 1
Choose the bread
Lay out the bread in thick slices. Leave it untoasted if it is fresh and firm, as it usually is in Mallorca for pa amb oli. If your loaf is too soft or a day old, toast it very lightly, only enough to steady the crumb, not enough to make it hard and brittle.
Soft sandwich bread will collapse under the tomato and oil. Use a dense loaf with a tight crumb, even if it isn't Mallorcan pa moreno. - 2
Rub the tomato
Cut the tomatoes across the middle, not from stem to tip. Rub the cut face firmly over each slice until the bread is stained red and the tomato skin is almost empty in your hand. This is the step. The pulp must enter the bread before the oil goes on, or the dish tastes like bread with wet tomato sitting on top.
- 3
Oil and salt
Spoon or drizzle 15ml olive oil over each slice, letting it catch in the tomatoed crumb. Sprinkle each with about 1g salt. Taste one corner. If the tomato is shy, add a little more salt; if the oil is peppery and strong, leave it alone. Pésalo, no lo adivines the first time, then your hand will learn.
- 4
Add the toppings
Top two slices with cheese and two with sobrassada, or set both on the table and let each person build their own. Keep the toppings plain and good. This is not a piled sandwich; the bread, tomato, and oil still have to be the thing you taste.
- 5
Serve at once
Serve with olives and, if you like, capers or pickled green peppers. Eat it soon after rubbing, while the bread is juicy at the surface but still has chew underneath. Tal como se hace allí: simple, exact, and not trying to be clever.
Chef Tips
- •Tomàtiga de ramellet is the right tomato because it has concentrated pulp and keeps well when hung in clusters. Away from Mallorca, use small ripe tomatoes with thin skins. If they are watery, grate them, drain for five minutes, and use the pulp.
- •Pa moreno is dense Mallorcan brown bread, traditionally unsalted or low in salt, so the coarse salt on top matters. If your substitute bread is already salty, start with half the salt and taste.
- •Sobrassada de Mallorca is soft, red with pimentón, and spreadable at room temperature. Don't fry it for this. Let it soften, tear it into small pieces, and press it onto the tomatoed bread.
- •For a picnic, carry the tomato, oil, and salt separately and rub the bread when you arrive. Fully dressed pa amb oli sits too long and turns heavy. Nadie nace sabiendo, but soggy bread teaches fast.
Advance Preparation
- •Slice the bread up to 4 hours ahead and wrap it in a clean cloth so it doesn't dry out.
- •Cheese, sobrassada, olives, and pickles can be portioned earlier the same day, but rub the tomato and add the oil only just before eating.
- •For outdoor dining, pack the halved tomatoes whole and the oil in a small bottle; the dish is best assembled in the moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 225g)
Calories
650 calories
Total Fat
45 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
30 g
Cholesterol
53 mg
Sodium
2050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
43 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
19 g
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