[ ./recipes/sides/pan-con-tomate.md ]
★ SPANISH · SIDES
Pan con Tomate.
SERVES
4
TOTAL
15m
ACTIVE
15m
LVL
EASY
// SUMMARY
The Catalan classic and the ultimate proof that great ingredients need almost nothing done to them: toasted bread rubbed with garlic, drenched in grated raw tomato, finished with good olive oil and salt. Make it only in high summer when tomatoes are actually ripe — everything depends on them.
// INGREDIENTS
| 4 | thick slices rustic bread (sourdough or a good country loaf) | |
| — 3–4 very ripe tomatoes | ||
| 1 | clove garlic, halved | |
| — good extra-virgin olive oil | ||
| — flaky sea salt | ||
// METHOD
- 01
Halve the tomatoes across the equator and grate the cut side on the coarse holes of a box grater into a bowl. Stop when you reach the skin and discard it. You want a loose, pulpy purée.
- 02
Toast or grill the bread until crisp and golden with some char at the edges. It needs to be firm enough to stand up to the tomato.
- 03
While the bread is still warm, rub the cut side of the garlic clove over the surface. The rough toast acts like a grater — go lightly, garlic is powerful here.
- 04
Spoon or brush the grated tomato generously over each slice, letting it soak in. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil, finish with flaky salt, and eat immediately.
// NOTES
- — Everything rides on the tomatoes. Out of season, don't bother — this is a summer dish.
- — Grating is the whole trick: it gives you pulp without skin and without a blender.
- — Serve right away. The bread goes soft if it sits, and soggy pan con tomate is a sad thing.
- — Salt at the very end so it stays crunchy on top.
// VARIATIONS
- → With jamón: Drape a slice of jamón serrano over the top — the classic tapas version.
- → Manchego: A few shavings of aged Manchego turn it into a light lunch.