Sometimes the Best Sandwich Is the Simplest One. If you love a good tomato sandwich, try looking at it from a different direction.
Pan con tomate — also known as pa amb tomàquet in Catalonia — is one of those beautiful recipes that proves great ingredients don’t need much help.
Toasted bread, ripe tomato, garlic, good olive oil and salt. That’s it.
In its most rustic approach, the tomato is rubbed directly onto the toasted bread, where its juices soak into the crumb and mingle with the olive oil. It’s simple. It’s easy.
Modern Tomato Toast, In The Spanish Style
Then there is the slightly more modern approach, where we grate the tomato, drain it’s excess juices then mix the pulp with olive oil and salt. Run our good, toasted bread with garlic, drizzle with olive oil, layer on our tomato pulp finish with herbs and you’ve got a truly satisfying snack for something so simple.
There are even gorgeous little spiked plates, designed exactly for this purpose. To shred your glorious tomato and garlic – often times – perfectly. (Now, that’s my kind of kitchen gadget!)
You can add anchovies or sardines if you want to take it somewhere a little more substantial.
But the real recipe is good bread + spectacular tomatoes + excellent olive oil.
Why Tomatoes Matter in Spanish Cuisine
Tomatoes are so deeply embedded in Spanish cooking that it’s easy to forget they originally came from the Americas. In Catalonia, tomatoes became an important part of the cuisine over time, joining other Mediterranean staples; garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil. The tomato is a celebrated part of Catalan cooking, where pa amb tomàquet has become one of its best-known simple preparations.
The beauty of pan con tomate is that it represents a culinary philosophy beautifully: use what’s good, treat it simply and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
The traditional preparation is wonderfully spare. It has also long been served alongside other foods, including olives, preserved and fresh seafood, cured meats and cheeses.
The Tomato Is the Recipe
This is not the moment for pale, insipid supermarket tomatoes. This is Farmer’s Market tomato territory. Or those elegant beauties you’ve been babying on your patio all summer! We want tomatoes that are deeply coloured, fragrant and heavy for their size. Their flesh should give slightly when pressed – and have plenty of juice.
This is a recipe where tomato quality matters because there is nowhere for a mediocre tomato to hide.
A beautiful heirloom tomato, a stunning beefsteak, ripe field tomato or any intensely flavoured seasonal tomato can work beautifully.
Why I Love It
An homage to great ingredients. No elaborate sauce. Not drowning in other ingredients. No cooking the life out of them. Just ripe, juicy tomatoes, and great bread allowed to be exactly what they are.
This is also why I love the idea of pan con tomate as part of my International Sandwiches series. A sandwich doesn’t have to be piled high with fillings to be interesting. Sometimes the best approach is to look at what another culture does with the same ingredients we already love – for a taste of something extraordinary.
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Spanish Pan Con Tomate
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Spanish Pan Con Tomate is the ultimate, simple tomato sandwich: toasted bread, smothered in ripe tomato. accented with garlic, olive oil and good salt, finished with herbs, anchovies or sardines.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices rustic country bread or sourdough
- 2 large, very ripe tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- Flaky sea salt
- Fresh chives, parsley, oregano or basil, optional
- Anchovy fillets or sardines, optional
Instructions
Toast the bread
- Toast the bread until the exterior is crisp and golden while the centre remains slightly chewy.
- You can do this under the broiler, on a grill or in a dry skillet.
- While the bread is still warm, gently rub one side with the cut surface of the garlic clove.
Add the Tomato
- Thinly slice the bottom of the tomato, just enough to expose the pulp.
- Using a rough grater, grate the INSIDE of the tomato into a shallow bowl.
- Using a fine sieve, drain any excess liquid from the tomato pulp.
- Return tomato pulp to your bowl, season with salt and olive oil.
- Spoon seasoned pulp onto garlic rubbed bread so it’s generously coated with tomato.
- Don’t be shy about getting tomato right to the edges.
Finish the Sandwich
- Finish with fresh herbs if that’s your style.
- Drizzle generously with extra-virgin olive oil.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Add anchovies or sardines for a salty, savoury finish.
- Serve immediately while the bread is still crisp.
Notes
Take It Somewhere Different. The classic version is fantastic exactly as it is, but this is also a wonderful little platform for other ingredients.
Try finishing your pan con tomate with:
• Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley
• Good-quality anchovies
• Sardines
• Thinly sliced jamón
• Manchego or another Spanish cheese
• A few drops of sherry vinegar
• Crushed black pepper
• A little chili for heat
Or don’t add anything at all.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Lunch
- Method: toasting
- Cuisine: Spanish
