One of our favorite things to make in the summer with fresh, juicy, tomatoes is a tapa from the Cataluña region of Spain called pan con tomate. Toasted crusty bread, fresh grated tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt. Comfort food, Barcelona Style!
What is Pan con Tomate?
Pan con Tomate (or pa amb tomàquet, in Catalan), translates into "bread with tomato". Traditional Pan con Tomate originates in the Spanish region of Cataluña. It's a simple tapa, but incredibly delicious and satisfying.
Whenever we go back to Barcelona, the city where we were raised, it's the first thing we want to eat. In Barcelona, you can pretty much find it in any tapas bar or restaurant.
How to Make Pan con Tomate
Pan con Tomate is made by simply toasting or grilling crusty bread, rubbing a peeled clove of garlic first, then a juicy, ripe tomato on it, and adding a generous amount of olive oil and salt (no measurements needed here!). The only secret is good tomatoes! Don't let the simplicity of this dish fool you. Once you taste it, you'll absolutely love it, guaranteed!
Our mom always grated the tomatoes instead of rubbing them directly on the bread (so we could get more tomato per slice), and that is how we make it at home, too. She definitely found a way to improve on a classic!
Serving suggestion: Place the toasted bread in a tray next to a bowl of grated tomatoes, peeled garlic cloves, a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil, and some salt. Let each person build their own Pan con Tomate.
Make sure to select good, ripe and flavorful tomatoes!
Peel and cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub it on the toasted bread.
Always use good quality extra virgin olive oil when making , it makes a huge difference!
Spread freshly grated tomato on the toasted bread.
What are tapas?
Tapas are little plates of food served in tapas bars thru-out Spain. Each region of Spain has its own specialty tapas, and " pan con tomate " is only found in the Spanish region of Cataluña. The food served in those little rustic tapas plates can be hot or cold, and it can be as diverse as a couple of scoops of stew, to a slice of tortilla de patatas to a little plate of Marcona almonds.
A little personal story...
Growing up, our dad would bring the most amazing fruits and veggies from his garden, especially during the summer. Super sweet tomatoes, giant watermelons, cherries, figs...
He still has that garden today, and whenever we go visit, we take our kids fruit and veggie picking. They always have a blast (even now that they're grown!) and get super excited to eat what they picked. Wanna get your kids excited about eating fruits and veggies? Show them where they come from and get them involved!
We used to pick tons of produce, but the best, by far, were the tomatoes.
So sweet and juicy, you could eat them off the vine, as if they were apples!! And just perfect for Pan con Tomate.
This post was originally published in August 2012 and has been updated on June 23, 2020.
Pan con tomate August 2012 
Pan con tomate June 2020
Frankly, pan con tomate is delicious on its own, but you can also top it with:
- Manchego cheese
- Tortilla de patatas
- Roasted eggplant
- Roasted Olives
- Roasted mushrooms
Did you like our pan con tomate recipe?
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Pan con tomate
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: As much as you need
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Pan con tomate is a simple yet delicious tapa from Barcelona. Toasted bread, with fresh grated tomatoes, olive oil, and salt. Comfort food Barcelona Style!
Ingredients
- Ciabatta, Baguette or Crusty Rustic Bread, as much as you need
- Ripe, flavorful tomatoes
- Garlic cloves (optional)
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Salt
- See Note regarding amounts
Instructions
- Toast or grill the bread
- Grate tomatoes in a large bowl (See Note 4)
- Lightly rub the toasted bread with a garlic clove (if using garlic)
- Drizzle bread with olive oil
- Spread the grated tomato over the bread
- Add salt to taste
- Enjoy plain or with your favorite topping (some of our favorites are tortilla de patatas and Manchego cheese)
Notes
- Use as much bread, tomatoes, olive oil and salt as you need, depending on how many people you have at your table
- If you like fresh garlic, peel and cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it on the toasted bread.
- You may grate the tomatoes one day ahead and keep in a glass airthight container in the fridge. We wouldn't recommend grating the tomatoes more than one day ahead.
- Drizzle olive oil and spread the tomato right before serving, to prevent the bread from getting soggy. You can also place the toasted bread in tray next to a bowl of grated tomatoes, some peeled garlic cloves a good bottle of olive oil and some salt. Let each person build their own " pan con tomate ".
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: raw
- Cuisine: Spain
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ ciabatta bun
- Calories: 136
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 223
- Fat: 3.7
- Saturated Fat: .8
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5.2
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: pan con tomate, bread, tomatoes, garlic, appetizer, summer, Spain, tapas,
cindele says
Love these postings from Barcelona and the beach!! Can you bring some of those tomatoes and that great looking bread home with you?
mayihavethatrecipe says
We wish!!! They would get stuck in customs and the officers would get to enjoy them instead, haha! We'll have to grow our own garden and bring my dad over to take care of it 🙂
cindele says
Love the postings from Barcelona and the beach!! Can you bring some of those beautiful tomatoes and bread back with you?
thewindykitchen says
this one of my favorite dishes, especially with manchego cheese and maybe even some serrano ham...yum! enjoy your trip 😉
kitchenriffs says
I've never been to Barcelona - but I really want to see it, so I'm sure I'll get there some day. Nice recipe - light, flavorful, and easy! Good stuff - thanks.
mayihavethatrecipe says
We really hope you have the chance to visit some day. Such an amazing city! In the meantime, hope you enjoy the food 🙂
erinmotz says
Wow, what an easy great idea! Sounds so simple and delicious. Fresh, in-season ingredients make all te difference, don't they?!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Absolutely!!! We were lucky to have tomatoes fresh from my dad's garden. Amazing! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
huntfortheverybest says
that is one of those simple yet delicious things to eat. the red in the photos is perfect!
mayihavethatrecipe says
It is indeed. Thank you! And it's really addictive too 🙂
Emma @ Barefoot Baker says
Ahh I just got back from 6 weeks in Spain and I miss it!! This post is so nostalgic for me 🙂 they always thought I was crazy for asking for pan sin jamon!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Haha! Same here! We grew up in Barcelona and we've never had it. People for sure think we're crazy!
Hope you enjoyed your stay!!! 🙂
Mary says
Me encanta!
Love Spain. I make tortilla de patatas all the time. Love going to Whole Foods and purchasing Jamon Serrano, queso Manchego y una barra de pan. Ole!
Vicky & Ruth says
Gracias! Yum! Manchego cheese is probably one of our favorite cheeses! 🙂
Natalie says
Such an awesome recipe! So simple, yet so absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Nomia Elliott says
Simple and delicious! Perfect for summer!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much, we absolutely love pan con tomate!
Lee Cohen says
So simple and yet so delicious. A real summer favorite. If you want to kick it up a notch add your favorite cheese , so good my mouth is watering right now.
★★★★★