Pan Con Tomate

The simplest appetizers are the best! This classic Spanish Tapas Pan Con Tomate is just that. Simple grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with a pure tomato pulp.

Pan Con Tomate

I’m kicking off the Summer Southern Tapas Series with a simple rustic tapas called Pan Con Tomate.

If you have never heard of it, you are not alone. I had this amazing tapas last summer while taking a walking food tour in Palm Beach, Florida and was baffled by the name other than there was a tomato in there somewhere.

Our first stop on the walking tour was a wine and tapas bar called the Blind Monk. Once I had a few bites of their Pan Con Tomate, I was hooked.

We drank mojitos and this amazing tomato dip with grilled bread. Finding out that the tomato dip was just tomato threw me for a loop. How could something so simple taste so good?

Because when you use the best ingredients, they always turn out great. Forget the fancy name, Pan Con Tomate (literally translated as bread with tomato) is just crispy bread with a simple tomato spread.

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Ingredients Needed

Bread – I like to use Ciabatta but feel free to substitute French of other crusty baguette.

Tomatoes – Fresh, ripe tomatoes are best!

Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.

Olive oil – With only a few ingredients use the best quality olive oil.

Seasonings – Flaky Kosher salt or sea salt.

This tapas takes just 5 minutes to make and will be the star of your next party. As we walk through the process, just remember that simple is best and go with what you like.

For more insider tips & tricks, and a candid behind the scenes look follow me on social media! Check use out on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter (yes, people still use Twitter, LOL!)

How to Make Pan Con Tomate

First: Prepare the tomato spread: Slice your tomatoes in half. Rub them cut side down on a box grater over a bowl to collect pulp and juice. Stop when you get to the skin.

Second: Drizzle a little olive oil in the tomato mix and season with salt to your liking.

Third:Toast the bread: Preheat your oven to Broil (550F). Slice your bread lengthwise and lay cut-side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.

Fourth: Broil bread until the top is crispy and slightly browned (about 5 minutes). Remove bread from the oven. Rub the charred sides of the bread with the fresh garlic clove.

Slice the bread into small portions and serve with tomato mixture.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

The other part of the Pan Con Tomate is the bread. Feel free to use a French Baguette, Regular Toast, or Ciabatta just so long as you get it nice a crispy.

My local store sells narrow and long Ciabatta bread so that is what I use. Slice it lengthwise in half and drizzle with a little olive oil to help with the broiling process.

Broil until the bread gets nice and crispy and starts to brown around the edges.  As soon as you take the bread out of the oven, rub it with a fresh garlic clove. Rub it all over!!!

The crispy nooks and crannies of the broiled bread act like its own box grater of sorts, scraping off small amounts of fresh garlic and letting the juice run into the bread.

The raw garlic adds a bit of spiciness to the bread and tastes great with the fresh tomato. If you are allergic to garlic then just skip this step and proceed to top your bread with the tomato mixture.

Tapas Tips & Tricks

• Tomatillos would work great but they need to be boiled first. You could have the same effect with a simple salsa verde and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro!
• Make your tomato dip before you start the bread. Broiling or grilling if you prefer only takes a few minutes and you want to be ready with your tomato when that crispy bread comes out of the oven.
• To make this batch of tomato I ran my tomatoes through a food mill. The quickest way to make it is using a box grater but I no longer have one.
• In the past, I would use the grater to shred cheese, I now use my food processor to save what skin is left on my knuckles.
• Once I rub the bread with the garlic, I slice the bread into sticks or thin pieces and toast the bread again for another minute. This gets the cut sides crispy too which really helps if you are using a thicker bread and you want it crispy all the way around.

Pile your sliced bread on a tray and add your small bowl of tomato spread. That’s it! If you are so inclined, you can sprinkle your bread with salt and some chopped parsley to add a little more to the presentation but it is not necessary.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

5 minutes, crispy garlicky bread, and a simple tomato spread make this Pan Con Tomate Recipe for a perfect afternoon appetizer, party food, or my lunch after this photo shoot. Enjoy!

More Tapas Recipes

• What is Tapas
• BBQ Dry Rub
• Summer Tapas Party
• Cheesy Olive Bread
• Best Steak Seasoning

Pan Con Tomate Spanish Bread with Tomato

The simplest appetizers are the best!  This classic Spanish Tapas Pan Con Tomate is just that.  Simple grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with a pure tomato pulp.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Best Tapas and Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Jennifer

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Ciabatta Bread sliced lengthwise
• 2 large tomatoes ripe
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher Salt to season

Instructions

Prepare the tomato spread

• Slice your tomatoes in half.
• Rub them cut side down on a box grater over a bowl to collect pulp and juice.
• Stop when you get to the skin.
• Drizzle a little olive oil in the tomato mix and season with salt to your liking.

Toast the bread

• Preheat your oven to Broil (550F).
• Slice your bread lengthwise and lay cut-side up on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Broil bread until the top is crispy and slightly browned (about 5 minutes).
• Remove bread from the oven.
• Rub the charred sides of the bread with the fresh garlic clove.
• Slice the bread into small portions and serve with tomato mixture.

Notes

*If you like this recipe, please leave me a comment and rate it with some stars.  Thank you!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 471mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

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