The best breakfast ever: ‘Pan con Tomate’ Toasted Bread with Tomato! If you have ripe and fragrant tomatoes, good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh bread then you are in for a real treat. Whenever I am visiting Spain I always aim to have ‘Pan con Tomate’ at least once for breakfast in a cafe bar. In many of the traditional ‘cafeterias’ in Madrid breakfast is a very quick but social occasion. Often you stand in front of the bar to eat as sounds of whirling coffee makers and chatter surround you and smells of sizzling, hot oil frying ‘Churros’ or ‘Porras’ (like a giant Churro) and smoky coffee fill the air. For me nothing tastes as good in the morning than hot, grilled bread topped with sweet and fragrant tomatoes, drizzled with fruity extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. It is a breeze to make at home. Rub one raw garlic clove over the hot grilled bread and then top with tomato mixture if you are serving this as tapas or for a light supper. Top with a slice or two of ‘Jamon Serrano’ Serrano Ham for an even tastier bite.

Toasted Bread with Tomato

Toasted Bread with Tomato

  • Cook Time: 10 min
  • Persons: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy

  • Ingredients
  • 4 slices of baguette or good quality fresh bread
  • 3 medium ripe tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp  extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tpsp salt
  • 1 clove of fresh peeled garlic (Optional)
  • 4 slice of Serrano ham (Optional)
  1. Instructions
  2. Wash the tomatoes and grab a cheese grater and bowl.
  3. Grate the whole tomato along the grater over a bowl. You’ll be left with some of the skin which you can discard.
  4. Add the oil and salt to the bowl and mix together with a fork. 
  5. Toast or grill the bread and spoon over the tomato mixture. Add a drizzle more of oil and sprinkling of salt.
  6. Optional with garlic – Before you spoon over tomato peel a clove of garlic then rub over the toasted bread. 
  7. Optional with Serrano ham- After you spoon over the tomato mixture top with a slice of ham.

Top Tips

  • Do test the tomato mixture for salt. Tomatoes do need salt to bring out their flavor. 
  • If I serve this as tapas then I like to either rub with garlic OR top with Serrano ham. I find the garlic can obliterate the sweet and subtle flavor of the ham if combined.

Toasted Bread with Tomato – Pan con Tomate

Sweet, fragrant tomatoes drizzled with fruity extra virgin olive oil on top of hot grilled bread – ‘Pan con Tomate’. I ask for nothing more than this for breakfast. Aside from a strong coffee of course!