Pan con Tomate: The Authentic Spanish Tomato Bread Recipe

Few things are more Spanish — or more simple — than pan con tomate (pa amb tomàquet in Catalan). It's breakfast, it's a tapa, it's the base for a hundred toppings. With so few ingredients, each one matters: ripe tomatoes, crusty bread, and a genuinely good extra virgin olive oil.

Cuisine: Spanish · Serves: 4 servings · Prep: 10m · Cook: 0m

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of rustic country bread
• 2 very ripe tomatoes, halved
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt

Method

1. Toast or grill the bread until golden and crisp.
2. If using garlic, rub the cut clove lightly over the warm bread.
3. Rub the cut side of the tomato firmly into the bread so the pulp soaks in, leaving just the skin behind.
4. Drizzle generously with good extra virgin olive oil and finish with flaky sea salt.
5. For a heartier tapa, top with anchovies or bonito tuna.

Pan con tomate is the perfect base for Spanish tinned fish — try it topped with a Cantabrian anchovy or a piece of bonito ventresca.