How to Make the Best Pan con Tomate, According to Spanish Chefs

Sometimes the simplest foods are the most delicious. Take pan con tomate, a Spanish staple of bread, tomato, olive oil, and sea salt. 

The dish began as a peasant food — using a ripe tomato to soften stale bread. “Just like opa de ajo (garlic soup) or migas, it’s a reminder that some of the country’s most beloved dishes were born from making the most of simple, humble ingredients,” says chef José Andrés, founder of José Andrés Group. 

Pan con tomate is now so woven into the fabric of Spain’s culinary culture that in Catalonia, there’s a tomato grown specifically for the dish: tomate de penjar. The dish is said to have originated in Spain’s northeastern regions of Catalonia and Valencia but evolved to become one of the most ubiquitous tapas across the country. 

“You grow up encountering it at a friend’s house, at a bar with a beer before lunch, at a family gathering after the beach,” says Valencia-born and -raised chef Danny Lledó of Xiquet in Washington, D.C.

Pan con tomate has also become a popular dish on social media. Just as it has evolved throughout Spain, it has shapeshifted online as creators showcase their preferred recipes.

“We’re living in a moment where people are exhausted by complicated food,” says Lledó. “After years of foam this and 40-ingredients that, diners crave something that feels honest and rooted — pan con tomate answers that hunger.” 

Despite how effortless the preparation appears on social media, however, uncomplicated doesn’t always translate to easy. Let these Spanish chefs walk you through the nuances and techniques for creating a perfect pan con tomate.

Regional differences

In Catalonia and Valencia, the traditional technique of pan con tomate, or pa amb tomaca as it’s called in the latter, is to rub one half of a tomato, cut side down, directly onto toasted bread. “The friction of the toasted crust acts like a grater, the pulp and juice transfer into the bread, the skin and seeds stay in your hand,” explains Lledó.

“It gives a lighter texture, allows the bread to retain its crispness, and creates a more balanced bite,” adds chef Elena Arzak of Arzak in San Sebastián, Spain.

On social media, a common alternative is grating the tomato before spooning its pulp onto the bread. Though this is less traditional, Andrés says it’s useful when you’re making a large batch for a party or if your tomatoes aren’t quite as juicy.

The tomatoes

The tomato is “the heart of the dish,” says Lledó, and the other ingredients are simply there to “frame it, not compete with it. The large, fleshy fruit of a traditional Valencian tomato with few seeds, dense pulp, low water, and real perfume is exactly what you want in a tomato for this recipe.” Since some of Lledó’s favorite subtypes like the Masclet and Rotello might not be available outside of Spain, he suggests a ripe Roma or San Marzano as a suitable alternative for their meaty structure and low water.

“It should be slightly overripe so that it releases its flesh easily when rubbed onto the bread,” says Arzak, who favors a tomate de rama for its fragrant, juicy character that brings freshness, sweetness, and balanced acidity. A widely available equivalent to this Spanish vine tomato is Campari. 

The bread

If you’re rubbing the tomato directly onto the bread, you’ll need a sturdier piece. It should have enough character to support the tomato and olive oil without becoming soggy, while adding its own flavor and texture, explains Arzak. She usually reaches for a sourdough bread with a crunchy crust and open crumb. “I like to toast the bread until it is crisp on the outside while still retaining some tenderness inside,” she says. “The slight crunch creates a wonderful contrast with the juicy tomato and silky olive oil.”

Andrés uses pan de cristal across his restaurants for its “wonderfully open, crispy crumb,” but says any hearty bread with crags to capture the tomato, olive oil, and salt work well. For a smoky flavor, grill the bread over an open flame or, in a pinch, broil it — just don’t bake it, Andrés advises “because you won’t get that same toasted surface.”

Olive oil

“Don’t think of the olive oil as a finishing oil — it’s part of the recipe,” says Andrés, who suggests using the best Spanish extra-virgin olive oil you can find, like his Arbequina label. 

EVOO from Picual or Hojiblanca olives is Arzak’s preference, the former for its intense freshness and the latter for a more balanced, elegant oil.

Salt

Before you reach for the salt, remember that even though it’s one of four main ingredients, it should still be considered a seasoning. “It should enhance the tomato, not dominate it,” stresses Arzak. Try a high-quality flaky sea salt like the Spanish flor de sal or Maldon. “Do not use kosher salt as it will melt too quickly,” warns Andrés.

“The real secret,” Elena Arzak says about her recipe below, “is that its success depends much more on the quality of the ingredients than on the recipe itself.” There’s no need to complicate it.