Pan con Tomate Recipe by Sebastián Vargas

Name: Pan con Tomate - Tomato & Anchovy Toast Recipe by Sebastián Vargas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 7 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp (for finishing) Olivea Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 2 slices thick-cut sourdough bread; 1 ripe heirloom tomato (large); 4-6 fillets sustainable anchovy fillets in olive oil; 2 large pinches smoked sea salt; 2 pinches Espelette pepper (piment d'Espelette)

Why We Love This Recipe

Sebas runs his restaurants — Los Félix (Michelin Green Star) and Krüs Kitchen — completely seed-oil-free. His words: "Seed oils are just terribly bad for your health. Inflammation, circulation, everything about seed oils is just not the good fats that our body needs." Swapping out vegetable, canola, and soybean oils for high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil is the single highest-leverage food change most people can make.

This recipe is built around that principle. Because nothing here is cooked over high heat, the polyphenols in your EVOO stay 100% intact — including hydroxytyrosol, one of the most studied compounds for cardiovascular and cognitive health. The earthy, peppery finish you get from a 1,000+ mg/kg olive oil is the polyphenol load expressing itself on the palate.

Beyond the oil: anchovies pack omega-3 fats, B12, and selenium. Ripe tomatoes deliver lycopene plus vitamins C and K. Sourdough's natural fermentation makes its carbs more digestible than commercial bread. Espelette pepper adds capsaicin (mild) plus aromatic complexity from its unique terroir. Five minutes to assemble, properly nutritious from corner to corner.

View Nutrition Facts

Watch the Recipe

Recipe Success Tips

Source tomatoes that taste like tomatoes.

Sebas's were from Tiny Farm in Homestead, his go-to producer. Look for tomatoes that smell sweet at the stem, feel heavy for their size, and have varied color/shape. Supermarket beefsteaks bred for shelf life will read flat against the salt and anchovy. If they're out of season locally, San Marzano or Marinda canned tomatoes work better than mediocre fresh ones.

Anchovy quality is non-negotiable.

This is a 6-ingredient recipe — every component is in plain view. Use Cantabrian or Sicilian anchovies packed in olive oil (not vegetable oil, ever). Glossy, intact fillets that smell briny rather than fishy. Avoid the salt-cured kind that hasn't been filleted — you'll spend more time deboning than eating.

Toast the bread until it crunches, not until it browns.

You want structural integrity for the tomato juices, not aggressive char. Sourdough specifically: 2 minutes per side in a dry pan or one cycle in a toaster on medium-high. The crust should resist when you press it but still flex slightly.

Espelette is fragrant, not aggressive.

If you've never used it: AOC piment d'Espelette is a mild French Basque chili at around 4,000 Scoville. The point isn't heat — it's the smoky, slightly fruity aroma. A pinch is enough. Substitute with Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika, or a tiny pinch of Korean gochugaru if you can't find it.

Don't skimp on the finishing olive oil.

Sebas pours a generous drizzle, and so should you. This is the moment the dish becomes nutritionally significant — a tablespoon of Olivea Ultra High Phenolic EVOO over the top delivers more polyphenols than most people get all week. Anything less and the oil disappears against the salt and anchovy.

Ingredients

2

servings

2 Tbsp (for finishing) Olivea Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1 ripe heirloom tomato (large)
4-6 fillets sustainable anchovy fillets in olive oil
2 large pinches smoked sea salt
2 pinches Espelette pepper (piment d'Espelette)

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

Toaster or Cast-Iron Skillet

Sharp Chef's Knife

Cutting Board

Serving Plates

How to Cook Pan con Tomate - Tomato & Anchovy Toast Recipe by Sebastián Vargas

TOAST

1

Toast 2 thick slices of sourdough until the surface crunches when pressed but the interior stays slightly tender — about 2 minutes per side in a dry skillet, or one medium-high cycle in a toaster. Set on serving plates while you assemble.

ASSEMBLE

2

Slice the tomato into thick rounds — Sebas's preference is medium-thick, about 1/4 inch. The juices should pool on the cutting board as you slice; that's the sign of a properly ripe tomato.

3

Lay 2-3 tomato slices over each toast, fully covering the bread. Don't overlap heavily — you want each slice to be visible.

4

Drape 2-3 anchovy fillets over the tomatoes on each toast, spaced evenly. Pull them straight from the tin; the olive oil they're packed in is part of the flavor.

FINISH

5

Sprinkle a large pinch of smoked sea salt across each toast — focus on the tomatoes so the salt draws out their juices.

6

Dust each toast with a pinch of Espelette pepper. Light hand: the goal is aroma, not heat.

7

Drizzle Olivea Ultra High Phenolic EVOO generously over each toast — about a tablespoon per serving. The oil should pool on top of the tomatoes and pick up the salt and pepper as it runs.

8

Serve immediately. Eat with your hands, over a plate to catch the inevitable drip.

Recipe Notes

About Chef Sebastián Vargas

Sebas is Colombian-born, classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and spent his formative years cooking at Fäviken (Sweden) and Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura in Italy. He now runs the kitchens at Krüs Kitchen and Los Félix in Coconut Grove, Miami — both part of Grassford Cultural Hospitality. Los Félix holds a Michelin Green Star, recognizing its commitment to sustainable sourcing and ingredient-first cooking. Both restaurants are completely seed-oil-free.

Why This Recipe Works

This is the platonic ideal of an ingredient-driven dish — everything visible, nothing hidden. There's no technique to hide behind, which means every choice matters: a flat tomato, a low-grade anchovy, a refined oil, and the whole thing collapses. Get all six components right and you have something that genuinely tastes like a restaurant plate at a Michelin Green Star kitchen, made in five minutes.

Variations

Add a smear of cultured butter under the tomatoes for richness. Top with a few capers or thinly sliced shallot for brightness. Add a soft-boiled egg on the side to make it a full breakfast. For a winter version when fresh tomatoes aren't good, use slow-roasted cherry tomatoes (200°F / 90°C for 2 hours with olive oil and salt) — concentrates the flavor.

Storage Tips

Eat immediately. This recipe doesn't store — the sourdough goes soggy within minutes once the tomato juice and oil meet it. If you're prepping for a crowd, slice tomatoes ahead and pull anchovies from the tin, but toast and assemble the bread to order.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1 toast

Calories 310

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 19g24%

Saturated Fat 2.8g14%

Trans Fat 0g

Unsaturated Fat 15g

Monounsaturated Fat 12g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 10mg3%

Sodium 640mg28%

Total Carbohydrate 26g9%

Dietary Fiber 2g7%

Total Sugars 3g

Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin C 10mg11%

Vitamin K 9mcg8%

Vitamin B12 0.4mcg17%

Iron 2mg11%

Calcium 40mg3%

Selenium 12mcg22%

Potassium 280mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Best No-Cook Way to Get Olive Oil Benefits

This recipe is the no-cook EVOO use case in its purest form — raw oil over fresh ingredients, full polyphenol retention. But you can't drizzle olive oil over every meal. The Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement delivers 20mg of hydroxytyrosol in a single capsule — 4× the EFSA daily threshold — for the meals where raw EVOO isn't on the table.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is tomato anchovy toast?

Tomato anchovy toast is a Mediterranean ingredient-driven snack: sourdough toast layered with ripe tomato slices, sustainable anchovies, flaky smoked salt, Espelette pepper, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Six ingredients, no technique, fully reliant on produce quality. A staple breakfast in Spanish and southern Italian kitchens, and at chef Sebastián Vargas's restaurants in Miami.

Who is Sebastián Vargas?

Sebastián Vargas is a Colombian-born chef who runs Krüs Kitchen and Los Félix in Coconut Grove, Miami — both part of Grassford Cultural Hospitality. Los Félix holds a Michelin Green Star, recognizing its sustainability and ingredient-driven philosophy. Sebas trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and cooked at Fäviken in Sweden and Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura in Italy before moving to Miami.

What kind of olive oil should I use for this toast?

Use the highest-quality EVOO you have. Olivea Ultra High Phenolic at 1,000+ mg/kg is ideal — its peppery, slightly bitter finish reads beautifully against the sweet tomato and salty anchovy. Avoid neutral or refined oils; they'll disappear in this dish, and the whole point is the oil's flavor.

What are the best anchovies to use?

Look for Cantabrian or Sicilian anchovies packed in olive oil (not vegetable or seed oil). Glossy, intact fillets that smell briny rather than fishy. Brands worth seeking: Ortiz, Don Bocarte, Conservas de Cambados, Agostino Recca. A small jar of quality fillets goes much further than a tin of cheap ones.

Can I make this without anchovies?

Yes. The closest swap is sun-dried tomatoes in oil or marinated white anchovies (boquerones — milder, vinegar-cured). For a fully meat-free version: thinly sliced Castelvetrano olives or a smear of black olive tapenade gives you the same salty-briny lift. The point of the recipe is the texture contrast and umami punch — any quality salty-fatty topping works.

What is Espelette pepper?

Piment d'Espelette is a mild French Basque chili (~4,000 Scoville, comparable to a soft paprika). It's an AOC-protected variety, meaning real Espelette can only come from a small region in southwest France. The flavor is fragrant, slightly fruity, and smoky rather than aggressively spicy. Substitute with Aleppo pepper, sweet smoked paprika, or a light pinch of Korean gochugaru.

What's special about Los Félix and Krüs Kitchen?

Both restaurants, run by Sebastián Vargas under Grassford Cultural Hospitality, are completely seed-oil-free — they cook only with olive oil, butter, and other traditional fats. Los Félix focuses on Meso-American cuisine centered on heirloom corn milled daily, and holds a Michelin Green Star for sustainability. Krüs Kitchen is fire-cooked seasonal European with the same ingredient-first philosophy.

Why is olive oil so emphasized in this dish?

Two reasons. First, it's the only ingredient that ties everything together — the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and anchovies all need a fat to carry their flavor across the palate. Second, when olive oil is used raw (no cooking), its polyphenols stay 100% intact. A high-phenolic EVOO over fresh tomatoes is one of the most polyphenol-dense things you can eat in a single bite.

What kind of bread should I use?

Sourdough is ideal — its open crumb soaks up tomato juices without going completely soggy, and the natural fermentation makes the carbs more digestible. Country-style or pane di Altamura works too. Avoid commercial sandwich bread or anything pre-sliced and uniformly textured; it'll collapse under the toppings.

Is tomato anchovy toast healthy?

Yes, in the way real food is healthy. The base is olive oil monounsaturated fats and high-phenolic polyphenols, anchovies bring omega-3 fats and B12, tomatoes provide lycopene and vitamin C, and sourdough fermentation makes the carbs gentler on blood sugar than commercial bread. Sodium runs a bit high from the anchovies and smoked salt — go light on the salt if you're sensitive.

Pan con Tomate - Tomato & Anchovy Toast Recipe by Sebastián Vargas

Why We Love This Recipe

Watch the Recipe

Recipe Success Tips

Ingredients

Kitchen Tools You'll Need