Pan Con Tomate (Spanish Tomato Bread)

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Pan Con Tomate is a 10 minute, easy appetizer that adds freshness and a simple well balanced flavor to your tapas night.

Food is a great way to make new memories with the ones you love, get to know someone new, or even learn more about the culture your recipe is from. And tapas are no exception. Hosting a tapas party is a great way to try a couple different small plates or have everyone make something to bring and share. This puts meaning and stories behind each dish and allows you and your guests to share in an experience of trying and enjoying each one. 

Key Ingredients

First, gather your ingredients. Pan Con Tomate is a super easy and delicious Spanish tapa that requires only 5 simple ingredients. However when you are working with so few ingredients, it’s important to make sure they are high quality. 

• Spanish bread – You can generally find a typical Spanish bread at your local grocery store, such as pan de barra which is a Spanish-style baguette. If you can’t find that, any baguette, ciabatta, or rustic white bread will work well. 
• Roma tomatoes – This dish is best when tomatoes are in season and perfectly ripe. Look for bright red tomatoes that are firm with a little give.
• Minced garlic – Freshly minced garlic is best if you have the time.
• Extra virgin olive oil – If you haven’t been to a local olive oil store for a tasting then you should give it a try. They’ll help you find the right olive oil for your tastes.
• Sea salt – This recipe works best with large flakey sea salt. 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Pan Con Tomate

Once you have your ingredients, making pan con tomate is really only 3 basic steps:

1. Spread minced garlic on some bread.
2. Toast the bread under the broiler for about 2 minutes. We want the bread to get lightly crisped.
3. Pile grated tomato on the toasted bread and top with EVOO and sea salt.

Serving Suggestions

Traditionally Pan Con Tomate, or Spanish tomato bread, is served as a tapa, or small plate. Since it isn’t expected to be a meal itself, it is best served alongside other tapas or appetizers. Here are some great tapas for you to try:

• Queso de cabra con tomate, or Spanish baked goat cheese in tomato sauce
• Chorizo potato skewers
• Spanish fried cauliflower
• Burrata toast

And if you are looking for any more ideas on how to host a tapas party, check out our post here!

Recipe Variations

• Drier topping and crispier bread – We like our pan con tomate to be on the juicy side. However, if you would prefer a dryer topping and crispier bread you can drain some or all of the liquid from the tomatoes after grating. Alternatively you can slice the bread thinner or broil it longer for a crispier texture.
• More garlic – Do you believe the more garlic the better? Sub minced garlic for fresh garlic cloves. Smash the cloves then rub them over the top of each piece of bread then leave the cloves for pockets of intense garlic flavor. Alternatively you can roast, mash and spread the garlic over the bread. Either of these options will add a stronger garlic flavor to your pan con tomate. 
• Extra flavors – You can amp up the flavor of this pan con tomate by adding in fresh basil or other herbs to your grated tomato before spreading over the bread. 

We hope you enjoy your tapas night. Help others do the same by commenting, rating, and sharing below!