La Catalana sandwich from Murcia, the classic Serrano ham and tomato sandwich found in Murcian bars
Para 2 2 €/pers. 180 kcal/100g.
- 2 crusty baguettes of about 120g each, or 240g of bread loaf
- 2 ripe tomatoes, about 250 g
- 120g of thinly sliced Serrano ham
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 20 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- A pinch of salt, only if needed
- Wash and thoroughly dry the tomatoes. Cut them in half and grate them using the coarse side of a grater, holding them by the skin, until you are left with the pulp. Discard the skin. If the tomatoes have released a lot of water, remove only a small amount of the liquid; we don't want a dry paste.
- We slice the rolls lengthwise without completely separating the two halves. We toast them very lightly, only on the inside, for 2 or 3 minutes under the oven grill or in a suitable toaster. We're looking for a slightly crispy crumb, not stale bread.
- Peel the garlic, cut it in half, and gently rub the cut side onto the warm breadcrumbs. Do this a few times on each roll. The goal is to leave a hint of garlic, not to coat the bread with raw garlic.
- We spread the grated tomato over both inside halves of the bread, reaching the edges. We add a tiny pinch of salt only if the tomato needs it, and drizzle each sandwich with half the oil. The bread should be moist and well-soaked, but not dripping.
- We distribute the Serrano ham over the bottom half of each roll, without pressing it down or forming a compact block. We leave the slices with natural folds so that the ham maintains volume and texture and closes the sandwich without spilling out the sides.
- We close the sandwiches and serve them immediately. The best part is eating them when the bread still has a bit of a crust, while the crumb has already absorbed the tomato, oil, and the aroma of the garlic.
On a bar menu in Murcia, the word "catalana" might confuse someone unfamiliar with it. It doesn't usually conceal a complicated sandwich: the Murcian "La Catalana" sandwich is recognized by a very specific combination of bread, tomato, and Serrano ham, a staple on the menus of bars and cafes in the region for years. The name suggests the same culinary family as "pan con tomate" (bread with tomato), but what's more interesting here is how it has become established in Murcian popular cuisine than assigning it a birthplace that isn't documented.
Modern menus don't offer a single, precise recipe either. Some Catalan versions use grated tomato, others rubbed on the bread; some add garlic, others omit it; and the ham can be Serrano or, in more expensive versions, Iberian. The core ingredient remains the same: bread thoroughly soaked in tomato, olive oil, and ham. For this recipe, we've opted for a version very common in Murcia: grated tomato, a touch of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and Serrano ham.
Here, balance matters more than quantity. We need a truly ripe tomato, capable of releasing pulp without becoming watery, bread with a crust that can hold the filling, and thinly sliced ham—ideally, let it come to room temperature before assembling the sandwich. The garlic should complement, not overpower, the tomato and ham; half a clove, well rubbed on each sandwich, is more than enough.
To compare this idea with other ways of combining bread and tomato, at Rechupete we have pa amb tomàquet or pantumaca, where the tomato is the absolute star; the toast with Serrano ham, tomato, and arugula, which opens up the sandwich and adds a vegetable element; and pa amb oli Mallorcan, another regional dish where the bread, tomato, and oil play a significant role. They are close relatives, but they are not exactly the same thing.
