Spanish Pan con Tomate with Grated Tomato, Garlic, Serrano Ham, Manchego and Arbequina Olive Oil

Prepare the tomato: cut the tomatoes in half equatorially. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cut side of each tomato half over a bowl — grate down to the skin and discard the flat skin that remains in your hand. What you have is a fresh, raw tomato pulp that is nothing like canned tomato. It should be bright, sweet, and smelling intensely of summer. Season with a generous pinch of salt and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• For the toast:
• 1 large rustic sourdough loaf or 1 baguette (or ciabatta — a chewy, open-crumb bread is essential)
• 4-6 ripe vine or heirloom tomatoes at peak ripeness (never refrigerated — cold kills flavor)
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 4-6 tbsp best quality extra-virgin olive oil (Arbequina, Picual, or any Spanish single-estate oil)
• Flaky sea salt (Maldon or Fleur de Sel)
• For toppings (choose your combination):
• 6-8 thin slices Jamón Serrano or Jamón Ibérico (Ibérico if budget allows — the fat is extraordinary)
• 80g (3 oz) aged Manchego cheese, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
• Fresh oregano or thyme leaves
• A few drops of aged sherry vinegar
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the tomato: cut the tomatoes in half equatorially. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cut side of each tomato half over a bowl — grate down to the skin and discard the flat skin that remains in your hand. What you have is a fresh, raw tomato pulp that is nothing like canned tomato. It should be bright, sweet, and smelling intensely of summer. Season with a generous pinch of salt and let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Toast the bread: slice the bread thickly — at least 1.5 cm (half an inch). Grill on a cast iron griddle pan over high heat until deeply charred on both sides with visible grill marks, or toast under a broiler until golden with a dark crust. The bread must be very well toasted — the exterior should be crisp and almost crackling.
3. Rub the garlic: while the bread is still hot from the grill, take a halved garlic clove and rub it vigorously across the entire cut surface of each slice. The heat opens the pores of the bread and the garlic is absorbed into the surface, not just sitting on top. Use firm pressure and use the whole clove — it should nearly dissolve into the toast.
4. Add the tomato: spoon a generous amount of the salted tomato pulp onto each toast. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly to the edges. The tomato should soak slightly into the bread surface. In Catalonia this is called pa amb tomàquet and is eaten at every meal.
5. Drizzle olive oil liberally over the tomato — more than feels reasonable. Good olive oil is the ingredient here, not a condiment. The tomato-oil combination on grilled bread is the complete dish; everything else is gilding.
6. Finish with flaky sea salt. The salt crystals provide texture and a burst of salinity that amplifies everything.
7. Drape Serrano ham over the toast if using — the paper-thin slices should fall in loose folds, not laid flat. Add shaved Manchego alongside or on top. The combination of cured ham and aged cheese with tomato bread is the definitive Spanish tavern snack.
8. Eat immediately. Pan con tomate does not keep — the toast softens within minutes. In Spain, it is eaten standing at a bar with a glass of Cava or vermouth before noon, while the market vendors are still setting up, and the day holds unlimited possibility.