Tomato Sandwiches

By Melissa Clark

Updated April 5, 2023

Tomato Sandwiches
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(1,865)
Comments
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You may not really need a recipe for a tomato sandwich, but sometimes varying it can be nice, especially if you tend to get stuck in a habit as the summer progresses. This version, based on pan con tomate, involves rubbing the guts of a ripe tomato all over garlicky toasted bread. More tomato slices are added on top, along with slivers of onion and mayonnaise, and bacon if you'd like. It’s a supremely messy sandwich best munched over the sink, or with plenty of napkins nearby.

Featured in: The Tomato Sandwich Perfected

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 4slices crusty country bread
  • 1fat garlic clove, halved crosswise
  • 1ripe and soft tomato, halved
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Mayonnaise, as needed
  • 1ripe but firm tomato, sliced
  • Thinly sliced white onion
  • 4slices cooked bacon (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toast the bread. Take each slice and rub one side all over with the cut side of the garlic clove. (The clove should start to disintegrate into the bread.) Rub each slice with the cut sides of the soft halved tomato, pressing so the tomato flesh sticks to the bread. Drizzle bread with oil, then sprinkle with salt.

  2. Step 2

    Spread mayonnaise over the tomato pulp. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of 2 pieces of the bread. Cover tomato slices with onions and sprinkle with salt. Top with bacon if using, then use the other 2 slices of tomato-rubbed bread to make sandwiches. Eat over the sink.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,865 user ratings
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Comments

Suzanne

hmmmm...way too fancy. Eat Over The Sink Tomato Sandwich as follows: Two thin slices of a Pullman loaf (white sandwich bread) each slathered with copious amounts of (must be) Hellmann's. Cover one slice with as many tomato slices as possible, salt the slices, cover with the other bread slice and press slightly. Eat in the sunny daytime over a kitchen sink with a window. Life is good.

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Dana

Instead of eating over the sink I recommend eating over a plate like I did so you can lick the plate afterwards. Go all in on those bad manners.

Montana girl

I've been making tomato sandwiches ever since I read Harriet the Spy about 50 years ago. They're just the best when tomatoes are ripe in the garden. Over the years my recipe evolved from Harriet's a little, but crunchy toast, mayo, juicy tomatoes and a dash of S&P are essential, and so simple. I just tried this recipe today and it's definitely worth the extra effort if you're feeling fancy. Used sweet onion from the garden. Don't know if Harriet would approve, but I sure do!

angelique

There is NO Bad way to eat a tomato sandwich with Heirloom Tomatoes!!

Geoffrey Graham

Well, you can make them as crazy as you like. Growing up in Providence in the fifties and sixties, we were never at a loss for summer tomatoes. The sandwich we enjoyed in out home was made with sliced tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, Miracle Whip, and Gorman's White Bread. A small dash of celery salt and black pepper were my favorite indulgences. Swedish was spoken at home, celery salt and Miracle Whip were our sacred condiments. I'm now pushing 73, and would never be without them.

Marc Kagan

I love this recipe. If you don’t want to open up a clove of garlic, a little sprinkling of garlic powder is just fine.

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