Pan con Tomate

This Spanish Pan con Tomate is a traditional tapa (appetizer) from the Catalan region of Spain. It is simple and so flavorful.

This appetizer features grilled bread rubbed with a garlic clove and fresh tomato that has been grated and drizzled with olive oil.

We had the pleasure of enjoying this amazing appetizer at many of the tapas bars and food markets in Madrid and Barcelona during our trip last spring.

If you have an over abundance of ripe tomatoes, try my easy Tomato Sandwich on Sourdough Bread recipe or make this gorgeous Tomato and Burrata Caprese Salad.

Why you will love this recipe

The number one thing why this recipe is so amazing is because it is so simple!

It takes little prep and it is one of those recipes where the sum of the parts is more than the individual components.

It is a great way to use up day-old bread such as sourdough or baguette and save those overripe tomatoes from going to waste.

Ingredients

• Crusty bread: A good crusty bread such as sourdough, baguette or Italian bread. Pan Crystal is what they use in Spain, this bread has a high, open crumb that soaks in all the tomato.
• Ripe tomatoes: It is best to use ripe or overripe tomatoes. I like to use heirloom tomatoes but Roma tomatoes, beefsteak and other varieties also work well.
• Olive Oil: Use a good quality olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil. Since this is a Spanish dish, I'm using a Picual olive oil from Spain, it is bold and adds a subtle bitterness to this dish.
• Garlic clove: Use a garlic clove to rub the bread and infuse it with that irresistible garlicky flavor that will complement the tomatoes. Buy fresh garlic, not pre peeled or in a jar.
• Flaky salt: I like to finish it with a sprinkle of flaky salt to bring out the umami flavor from the tomatoes.

Instructions

I like to start lightly toasting the bread and then grate the tomatoes. If you are planning on adding any extras like Jamón Serrano, Manchego Cheese or Piparra peppers set those before you start working on the Pan con Tomate.

Step 1: Drizzle olive oil on the bread and toast it

Use a light drizzle of olive oil on a slice of bread (I'm using sourdough) and lightly toast it on a griddle pan (or the grill) until barely browned.

Step 2: Rub garlic on the bread

Cut a galic clove in half and rub it all over the warm bread to infuse it with flavor.

Step 3: Grate the tomatoes

Using a box grater over a large bowl, grate the tomatoes on the smallest holes. Discard the tomato skins.

Step 4: Assemble the Pan con Tomate

Place the slice of bread on the side that you rubbed the garlic on and spoon over the tomato pulp, covering all the bread's surface.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil, top with flaky salt, serve and enjoy.