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1
Dice the tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Add the fine sea salt and allow to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. The juices will develop visibly and pool at the base of the bowl — this is the moment to proceed.
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2
Heat a charcoal grill or gas flame until it is hot enough to char. Lay the bread slices directly over the heat and grill without moving them until dark lines are marked on the underside and the bread is dry inside. Turn once. The bread must carry true char marks and show no softness when pressed at the centre — if it yields, it is not ready.
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3
Remove each slice from the grill immediately and rub the hot upper surface vigorously with the cut face of a halved garlic clove. This is where the dish lives or dies: the heat of the bread abrades the garlic and draws its oil into the surface; cold bread cannot perform this transfer and the preparation becomes meaningless. The bread should release a sharp, raw garlic scent the instant the clove meets it.
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4
While the bread remains hot, pour the raw extra-virgin olive oil generously over each slice — not a drizzle, a pour. The heat blooms the oil's aroma; the surface should glisten fully and the oil should begin to soak the interior within seconds.
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5
Spoon the salted tomato and its accumulated juices over the bread. Tear the basil leaves and lay them over the tomato. Finish with a pinch of Cervia sea salt at the plate. Serve at once — the bread must not be allowed to soften under the tomato before it reaches the table.