Pan Con Tomate (Spanish Tomato Bread)
Pan con Tomate or pa amb tomàquet is a classic Spanish recipe that's as simple as it is delicious. This garlicky tomato bread makes the best appetizer!
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Wait. Do you know about tomato bread??
Because, you need to.
Pan con Tomate or Tomato with Bread is a classic dish from Catalonia. It is ridiculously simple to put together, and the outcome relies mainly on the quality of each ingredient. Good bread. Good tomatoes. Good garlic. Good olive oil. Good salt. Maybe some fresh herbs and pepper if you’re feeling sassy. That’s it.
Pair it along side of some other classic Spanish dishes, like watermelon gazpacho, gigante bean salad and grilled shrimp.
It’s a great way to use up tomatoes that are on their way out- maybe just a little too ripe for a salad, but still a day or so away from being totally gone. Simply toast some bread, rub it with a clove of garlic, then rub it with a halved tomato, drizzle with lots of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and devour.
This is what I’m eating right now. And if you want to eat something really delicious, you will make it too. It will taste just like summer in Spain.
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Ingredients
- 6 slices rustic, crusty bread such as ciabatta or sourdough
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half
- 2 beefsteak tomatoes very ripe heirlooms if possible
- Extra virgin olive oil for brushing and drizzling
- Flaky sea salt such as Maldon, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- Brush each slice of bread with a little bit of olive oil on both sides.
- Grill each piece of bread until nicely charred on both sides.
- While the bread is still hot, rub the cut end of the garlic all over.
- Slice the tomato in half and liberally rub the cut side all over the bread to saturate it with tomato juice and pulp.
- Drizzle with plenty of olive oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can toast the bread in the oven or toaster oven instead of grilling if desired.
- This is the traditional method for making tomato bread, but for more tomato flavor, you can grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and spoon that on top of the bread instead of rubbing.
Being from Barcelona, I have to comment on the recipe. That is a shame to use a heirloom tomato for this, Small vine, red ripe tomatoes are the best to use. We actually grow a very specific variety for the bread. They are meaty and juice, but small, the size of a golf ball. Much better result. You can fins similar tomatoes in California for sure.
Here are some variations to the "Pa amb Tomaquet" a Catalan dish not Spanish (the rest of Spain will not serve this bread, will actually give you bread with a slice of tomato), you can make it with toasted or not toasted bread, with garlic or no garlic, but always by rubbing the tomato onto the bread, Delicious with french baguette or even San Francisco Sourdough, ciabatta or old style farm bread. Either way, serve with some cold cuts, cheese, Spanish omelette, etc.
I appreciate the comment!
I love yellow low acid tomatoes, both grape and full sized. My Dad grew them long before they ever appeared in stores. I eat them cut up plain with crumbled or shaved feta. Great snack.
Me too Deb! the little sun gold cherry tomatoes are my absolute favorite. so sweet!! thanks for reading!
Love the simplicity! I am defiantly making this soon. I have some olive oil from my aunt's farm in Greece you will love 🙂
You have an aunt with a farm in Greece?! Yes, I do need to taste this olive oil. Hopefully you can get some good tomatoes at the market tomorrow and make this!