Nigella Lawson Catalan Toast

Nigella Lawson’s Catalan toast is charred rustic bread spread with a fuzzy mush of grated ripe tomato, garlic and olive oil. It makes about 6 pieces, from her book At My Table.

She first came across it in a tapas bar in Barcelona “about 100 years ago”. Properly called pa amb tomàquet in Catalan, it’s different from Italian bruschetta: rather than chopped tomatoes tumbled on top, the tomato is grated to a pulp and the toast merely anointed with it.

The trick, she says, is really just one thing: a properly good, properly ripe, flavoursome tomato. With so few ingredients, nothing can hide, so the quality of the tomato, oil and bread is everything.

Nigella Lawson Catalan Toast

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Sides, AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Calories

110

kcal

Total time

10

minutes

Nigella’s pa amb tomàquet from At My Table: charred rustic bread spread with a fuzzy mush of grated ripe tomato, garlic and olive oil. The simplest, best tomato toast. Makes about six.

Ingredients

• 1 large very ripe tomato, but not beefsteak (approx. 150g)

• 1 clove garlic (peeled)

• 1 x 15ml tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• approx. 3 chunky slices sourdough or other rustic bread (halved)

• Maldon sea salt flakes (to taste)

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Directions

• Make the mush:Push the tomato through a coarse grater, box grater or microplane, directly into a little bowl. Mince or finely grate in the garlic. Add the oil and a pinch of salt and stir with a fork to a fuzzy, light-red mush.
• Toast and top:Toast the bread well, charred at the edges if you like. Spread modestly with the tomato mixture, so the bread is still visible under the scant scarlet topping. Sprinkle with more sea salt and serve immediately.

Notes

• (yield): One 150g tomato gives Nigella about ½ cup (125ml) of tomato topping.
• (keep a bowlful): When the tomatoes are good, Nigella keeps a little bowl of the mixture to hand for a quick Catalan toast whenever the need arises.
• (make ahead / store): It’s not advisable to make ahead or store, as it’s best assembled and eaten immediately.

FAQs

How is this different from Italian bruschetta?

It’s a common mix-up, but they’re distinct. Italian bruschetta tops toast with chopped, chunky tomatoes (often with basil) piled on. Catalan pa amb tomàquet instead grates the tomato to a pulp and merely anoints the bread with a thin, fuzzy smear, so you taste the bread, garlic and oil as much as the tomato.

The result is subtler and more about essence than chunks: the toast is “stained” with tomato rather than loaded. Nigella’s version keeps the topping scant, so the bread stays visible underneath. It’s a tapas-bar staple across Catalonia, eaten any time from breakfast to dinner.

Why grate the tomato instead of chopping it?

Grating is the heart of the technique. Pushing a halved tomato through a coarse grater reduces the flesh to a soft, juicy pulp while leaving the skin behind in your hand, giving that characteristic “fuzzy mush” that soaks lightly into the toast rather than sitting on top in pieces.

Traditionally you rub the cut tomato straight onto the toast, but Nigella prefers to grate it into a little bowl, so she can mix in the garlic and oil evenly first. A box grater or microplane both work. Discard the skin left behind. A properly ripe tomato grates easily and gives the most juice and flavour.

What’s the best tomato and bread to use?

The tomato matters most. Nigella is clear that all that really matters is a properly good, ripe, flavoursome tomato, since there’s nowhere to hide. She specifies a large, very ripe tomato but not a beefsteak, as those can be watery and less intense. An in-season, full-flavoured tomato at room temperature is ideal.

For the bread, use a chunky, rustic loaf like sourdough that toasts to a sturdy, crisp, chewy slice and won’t go soggy under the topping. Nigella likes hers well-toasted and charred at the edges, which adds flavour and grip. Good extra virgin olive oil rounds out the three key ingredients.

How much tomato should I put on?

Less than you’d think. Nigella says to spread it modestly, so the bread is still visible under the scant scarlet topping, rather than drenching it. This keeps the toast crisp and lets the garlic, oil and charred bread come through, rather than turning soggy under a thick layer.

The toast is meant to be lightly stained and perfumed, not saturated. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top, which lifts the whole thing. One 150g tomato gives about half a cup of topping, enough for roughly six pieces, so a little goes a long way.

What do I serve it with?

It’s a brilliant all-rounder: a quick snack, a light breakfast, or part of a tapas or mezze spread. Traditionally it’s topped with jamón, anchovies, cheese or tinned fish for something more substantial, or served plain alongside other small plates.

It makes a lovely base or side for Spanish and Mediterranean dishes, and sits well among sharing plates with something like Nigella’s caramelized garlic hummus or her jewelled salad. There are more simple recipes on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.

Can I make it ahead?

Not really, and Nigella advises against it. Assembled Catalan toast goes soggy quickly as the tomato juice soaks in, so it’s very much a make-and-eat-immediately dish, toasted fresh and topped just before serving.

What you can do, and Nigella does when tomatoes are good, is keep a little bowl of the grated tomato, garlic and oil mixture in the fridge, ready to spread on freshly toasted bread whenever the craving strikes. That way the topping’s prepped but the toast stays crisp. Give the bowl a quick stir before using.