pan con tomate (spanish tomato toast)
I'll be in Spain when this recipe goes live, and if there's one breakfast I'll be ordering over and over again, it's this. Pan con tomate couldn't be simpler—crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, olive oil and flaky salt—but somehow it's unforgettable. It's proof that when the ingredients are great, you don't need much else.
patatas
Marianne Murciano
4
10 minutes
8 minutes
175
Spanish
Breakfast
Savvy Tip: The tomato grating technique is the whole secret. It sounds fussy but takes thirty seconds and gives you bright, juicy pulp that soaks into the bread in a way sliced tomatoes never could. Don't skip it, don't substitute it — this is what makes pan con tomate taste like Spain instead of just tomato toast.
Bonus Savvy Tip: If you can find Jamón Serrano, lay a few thin slices over the tomato before the olive oil. It turns breakfast into something you'd pay for in a Barcelona café — and you'd be right to.
Ingredients
- 1 rustic country loaf, ciabatta or sourdough
- 4 very ripe tomatoes (Roma or vine-ripened)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Extra-virgin olive oil (the good stuff)
- Flaky sea salt (Maldon or similar)
Optional
- Thin slices of Jamón Serrano
- Manchego cheese
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Directions
Toast the bread
Slice the bread about 1 inch thick.
Toast under the broiler, on the grill or in a cast-iron skillet until deeply golden with lots of dark edges. You want crunchy outside and chewy inside.
Prepare the tomatoes
Cut each tomato in half across the middle.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cut side of each tomato over a bowl.
You'll be left with bright tomato pulp while the skin stays in your hand.
Discard the skins.
Stir the tomato gently.
Don't drain it.
Those juices belong on the bread.
Rub with garlic
While the toast is still warm, lightly rub one side with the peeled garlic clove.
Just a few swipes—you want the flavor, not overpowering garlic.
Assemble
Spoon several tablespoons of grated tomato onto each slice.
Spread almost to the edges.
Finish generously with excellent olive oil and flaky sea salt.
Serve immediately before the bread softens.