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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Tosta de Sobrassada amb Mel
Created by
Tosta de sobrassada amb mel is Mallorcan: crisp bread, soft pimentón-red sausage, and just enough honey to cut the fat without turning supper into dessert.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Spanish
Quick Meal
Potluck
Comfort Food
10 min
Active Time
8 min cook•18 min total
Yield4 tostas
Tosta de sobrassada amb mel is Mallorcan, and Mallorca gives it its name before anything else does. Soft cured sobrassada, red with pimentón, is spread over good bread and warmed until the fat loosens and sinks into the toast. Then comes honey, not a flood, just a thread. Balance is the dish.
The method that decides it is the heat. Sobrassada should melt and gloss, not fry hard or dry out. Toast the bread first so it can stand up to the fat, spread the sausage thin enough to warm through, then finish it under gentle heat until the surface shines and the edges just darken. If the bread is pale and soft, the whole thing slumps. If the sobrassada burns, the pimentón goes bitter. Neither is necessary.
If you can't find Mallorcan sobrassada where you are, look for a soft spreadable Spanish chorizo-style sausage with pimentón, or a good sobrasada sold in a casing or tub. Hard cured chorizo is not the same thing; it slices, it doesn't melt. Use it only if you mince it very fine with a little olive oil, and know the texture will be rougher. No hace falta haber pisado España, but you do need the right kind of sausage.
Serve these hot, cut small for a table or whole for a quick meal. Pésalo, no lo adivines: too much honey buries the sobrassada, and too much sobrassada makes the bread heavy. Follow the amounts once, then your hand will learn. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Sobrassada belongs especially to Mallorca and the Balearic Islands, where the household pig slaughter, the matança, filled the winter larder with cured pork. Its red colour and warm depth come from pimentón, the ground red pepper that entered the island kitchen after peppers from the Americas became part of Spanish curing. The pairing with honey is a Mallorcan sweet-savoury habit that suits sobrassada's soft fat and paprika heat, often served on bread as a small bite or a simple supper.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
rustic country bread
Quantity
4 thick slices, about 240g total
sliced 1.5 to 2cm thick
sobrassada de Mallorca
Quantity
160g
casing removed
mild honey
Quantity
20g, about 1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| rustic country breadsliced 1.5 to 2cm thick | 4 thick slices, about 240g total |
| sobrassada de Mallorcacasing removed | 160g |
| mild honey | 20g, about 1 tablespoon |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1 tablespoon |
| flaky sea salt | to finish |
Equipment Needed
- •Baking tray
- •Small offset spatula or butter knife
- •Kitchen scale
Instructions
- 1
Warm the oven
Heat the oven to 200C, or set a grill to medium. Take the sobrassada out of the fridge while the oven heats; ten minutes on the counter makes it spread instead of tearing the bread.
- 2
Toast the bread
Brush the bread lightly with olive oil and toast it on a tray for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the outside is crisp and the middle still has a little chew. This matters. The toast has to hold the warm fat without collapsing.
- 3
Spread the sobrassada
Divide the sobrassada over the hot toast, 40g per slice, and spread it right to the edges in a thin, even layer. Don't mound it in the centre; a thick pile warms badly and tastes greasy before it tastes rich.
If your sobrassada is very firm, mash it in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of olive oil before spreading. That is a practical correction, not a new dish. - 4
Melt it gently
Return the tostas to the oven or slide them under the grill for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the sobrassada loosens, shines, and darkens slightly at the edges. Watch it closely. Burnt pimentón turns bitter, and nobody came for bitter toast.
- 5
Finish with honey
Drizzle 5g honey over each tosta, about 3/4 teaspoon, then finish with a few flakes of sea salt. Cut each slice in half if serving a table, or leave them whole for a quick meal. Eat them while the surface is glossy and the bread still cracks under the knife.
Chef Tips
- •Buy real sobrassada de Mallorca if you can. It should be soft enough to spread, red with pimentón, and rich without tasting harsh. A hard cured chorizo is a different thing and will not melt into the bread.
- •Use a mild honey, orange blossom if you have it, or another light floral honey. Dark, bitter honey can take over, and this dish is about the line between sweet and savoury.
- •Choose bread with a firm crumb and a good crust: pan de payés, country loaf, or sourdough if that is what you can get. Thin sandwich bread goes soggy. It was never going to win this fight.
- •Serve these straight away. Once the sobrassada cools, the fat sets and the toast loses its point.
Advance Preparation
- •The bread can be sliced a few hours ahead and kept loosely covered at room temperature.
- •The sobrassada can be weighed and brought out of the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes before cooking, so it spreads cleanly.
- •Do not assemble the tostas ahead; the fat and honey soften the bread if they sit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 100g)
Calories
430 calories
Total Fat
26 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
1000 mg
Total Carbohydrates
36 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
12 g
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