A traditional Catalan recipe, pa amb tomàquet or pan con tomate is Spain’s answer to the Italian bruschetta. These little bites are easy to make, and even easier to eat!

Like many must try Spanish recipes, this delicious Spanish tomato bread only requires a few ingredients. That means you should get high quality ingredients if you can – as there is a big emphasis on individual flavors.
While this dish originated as pa amb tomàquet in the Catalan speaking regions of Spain, it is actually very popular all over the country. I suppose it is very hard to hate freshly toasted crusty bread and high quality tomatoes!
How To Make An Authentic Pan Con Tomate

This recipe only requires 5 ingredients, and they should be easy to find at your local grocery store. However, the most authentic version of the pa amb tomàquet does use a special type of tomato that you probably won’t be able to find. So just consider my recipe 90% authentic.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bread – In Spain it is popular to use a country style crusty white bread similar to a French baguette. You can use any long loaf that is good for slicing into 1-2 bite pieces.
- 4 Tomatoes – Get the highest quality tomatoes you can. In Catalonia they use a special breed called tomaquets de penjar, but I can’t find them outside that region and I’m in Granada.
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil – plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp Salt – plus more to taste
Making pa amb tomàquet At Home

Cut the bread into slices and lay them on a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven at 175c for about 10 minutes, or until they look nicely toasted.

Slice your tomatoes in half and use a box grater to grate the tomato insides. Do not grate the skin, you can discard the skin after you get everything out.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the grated tomato and give the bowl a quick mix.

Rub the garlic clove on the toasted bread and spoon over a bit of the grated tomato. Give everything another good drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle on some high quality flaky sea salt (flor de sal).
Variations

As I am in Granada, the first time I encountered pan con tomate was at a tapas bar. Naturally it was topped with a slice of jamón and this is my favorite way to prepare this recipe.

Now that you have made an authentic Spanish tapa, you need to figure out what drink to pair with it. My suggestion is another Spanish classic, a vermut cocktail!

Pan Con Tomate (Spanish Tomato Bread)
Equipment
- 1 Oven to toast the bread
- 1 Bread Knife
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bread In Spain it is popular to use a country style crusty white bread similar to a French baguette. You can use any long loaf that is good for slicing into 1-2 bite pieces.
- 4 Tomatoes Get the highest quality tomatoes you can. In Catalonia they use a special breed called tomaquets de penjar but I can't find them outside that region and I'm in Granada.
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Slice your loaf of bread and lay out the pieces on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven at 175C for 10 minutes, or until nicely toasted.
- While the bread is in the oven, grate the tomatoes on a box grater. Do not grate the skin, that can be discarded. Peel the clove of garlic.
- Into the grated tomato add the tablespoon of olive oil and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Remove the bread from the oven and rub each piece with the clove of garlic.
- Spoon the grated tomato mix right on the bread. Give everything a good drizzle of more olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.
