Pan con tomate (“bread with tomato”) is an easy Spanish tapas recipe! It’s quite possibly the best way to use a ripe tomato…period.

Got a ripe summer tomato? Here’s quite possibly one of the best ways to use it…in the world. Try Pan Con Tomate, a Spanish tapas recipe with only a few ingredients but immeasurably massive flavor. Take one bite and it’s like ingesting the pure soul of a tomato: all its memories of growing plump in the summer sun. This transcendental summer tomato recipe will make you a quick convert.

What is pan con tomate?

Pan con tomate translates to “bread with tomato,” a Spanish dish that consists of toasted bread topped with tomato pulp, garlic and olive oil. It’s served throughout Spain as tapas or a snack, and it’s especially common in Catalan cuisine where it’s called Pa amb tomàquet.

I fell in love with pan con tomate when I lived in Madrid in university, then again when Alex and I visited Spain recently. Many tapas-style restaurants have popped up in the US since then that have imported the concept. It’s important to honor the heritage of this incredible dish: Spanish cuisine, which has also brought us iconic dishes like paella, sangria, gazpacho, and more.

Ingredients for pan con tomate

Pan con tomate is one summer’s best concepts: this Spanish recipe uses just 5 ingredients with no real cooking involved! It’s best for when you’ve got a big, juicy summer tomato. One bite, and you’ll be happy dancing with the explosive flavors! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ripe tomatoes
• Bread
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Salt

Grill or broil the bread

The bread for pan con tomate can be grilled or toasted in the broiler. Either way, spread the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and salt before cooking it. Here are the pros and cons to each method:

• Grilled bread: Grilled bread is very traditional and adds a charred flavor. This is best flavor-wise, but it does take time to preheat the grill.
• Broiled bread: Broiled bread doesn’t have a charred flavor, but it’s quick and easy in the broiler! Broiling gets it nice and crispy, with dark edges.

Grate the tomatoes

How to get that beautiful tomato essence in pan con tomate? You’ll grate the tomatoes. Yes, grab a box grater and use the large holes to grate the tomato into a bowl. You’ll feel like you’re destroying it! But take one taste of the pulp, and it will make your tastebuds sing! Season it with a few pinches of kosher salt.

Rub the bread with garlic

The other key to pan con tomate is seasoning the bread with garlic. Unlike a bruschetta where you mince the garlic, with this Spanish tapas recipe you’ll rub the garlic right onto the toast.

• Peel the garlic and slice it in half.
• Take the cut side and rub it right onto the bread. You won’t see anything on the bread, and it will feel like you haven’t done anything. But one taste and you’ll see that it’s infused with the intoxicating aroma of fresh garlic!

Make pan con tomate right before serving

Take one bite of pan con tomate, and it’s absolute magic: the crunch of the bread, the juicy tomato pulp, and the golden rich drizzle of olive oil. In fact, you’ll want to eat it every day. But here’s the thing: the tomatoes do make the bread soggy over time. So it’s best to eat this treat right away!

If you’re serving this as a tapas appetizer at a party, try to avoid letting it sit out on a table for hours. Pass it around or have people enjoy it right as it comes out of the kitchen. If you want to make it in advance, here’s what to do:

• Grate the tomatoes and refrigerate the pulp. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
• Toast the bread and assemble right before serving. You’ll want to keep that bread deliciously crunchy!

More Spanish recipes

If you’ve followed us for a while, you’ll know we love studying traditional Spanish recipes. Here are a few of our favorites to make at home:

• Make a big pan of Spanish Paella or Easy Vegetarian Paella
• Mix up a refreshing pitcher of Sangria
• Make traditional Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Española)
• Try another classic tapas recipe, Spanish Patatas Bravas

This pan con tomato recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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