Spanish tomato bread is simply toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and ripe tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt. It can be eaten by itself, but is often topped with cheese, ham or sausage and is eaten for breakfast or as an appetizer.

Pan con tomate (literally "bread with tomato") is sometimes called pan a la Catalana in other parts of Spain. It is one of the simplest, most well-loved, most widely eaten and most famous dishes from Cataluña. In Catalan, it is known as pa amb tomaquet.

It is best to use a rustic-style bread, that is solid and dense and a bit wider than the standard, narrow baguette.