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We’ve got a surplus of tomatoes this summer season, and it’s superb. I dreamed up this easy tomato salad recipe to utilize the surplus. I merely sliced ripe tomatoes into bite-sized items, then I added some crisp purple onion, a number of recent basil, and drizzled all of it with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.

The tip result’s so scrumptious! This salad actually lets uncooked, peak-season tomatoes shine. The recipe can also be fairly versatile, so that you’ll by no means tire of it. Strive including some cucumber, mozzarella, avocado, arugula and even peaches.

Serve this tomato salad as a recent, wholesome aspect salad to any summer season meal. It’s greatest when it’s freshly made, so I like to recommend slicing the recipe in half in case you’re not serving a crowd.

I grew heirloom tomatoes from seed for the primary time this spring. It was a enjoyable course of that proved simpler than anticipated. In reality, I underestimated how most of the seeds would sprout. I grew so many tomato crops that we stuffed our household’s three backyard plots and handed alongside the additional to mates.

Unusually sufficient, our rising tomato crops have offered a way of continuity and hope throughout a tumultuous yr. I’ll do all of it once more subsequent spring, however possibly depart some room for extra peppers and cucumbers. Or possibly I want an even bigger backyard plot. I feel I’m hooked!

Table of Contents

Tomato Salad Components

Tomatoes

Ripe tomatoes are completely key to creating an important tomato salad. In different phrases, don’t try to make tomato salad with subpar tomatoes. It’s simply not value it.

For this salad, I like to make use of a mix of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half, and small-to-medium tomatoes, sliced into bite-sized wedges. You should use any mixture of tomatoes, although, so long as they’re good ones. You’ll want about 1 3/4 kilos complete.

Crimson Onion

Uncooked onion will be intense, so we’re going to soak our onion in ice-cold water whereas we put together the remaining components. The colder your water, the extra crisp your onions will develop into. Soaking the onion is a straightforward and fast approach to enhance the general taste and texture of your salad.

Contemporary Basil

You possibly can’t go fallacious with the mix of recent tomatoes and bail, ever. In case you’re brief on basil, this salad can also be good with parsley, dill and/or chives.

Further-Virgin Olive Oil & Thick Balsamic Vinegar

Now’s the proper time to bust out your greatest olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as a result of their flavors will actually shine on this salad. In case you’re curious, my go-to olive oils are California Olive Ranch On a regular basis and Dealer Joe’s Kalamata.

By “thick” balsamic vinegar, I imply a high-quality aged balsamic that can drizzle properly over the salad. I like Napa Valley Naturals’ Grand Reserve Vinegar (affiliate hyperlink)—ensure you get the bottle with “25 stars” on it. Or, use store-bought balsamic glaze/discount by DeLallo or Alessi. You possibly can even make your individual balsamic glaze with runny balsamic—examine the recipe notes for particulars.

Salt & Pepper

If attainable, use Maldon flaky sea salt (affiliate hyperlink). Flaky salt is a “finishing salt” that gives a touch of crisp texture and enhances the flavour of something beneath. It’s such a simple approach to make a recipe appear gourmand! In case you don’t have it, use kosher salt. In case you don’t have kosher salt, use half as a lot desk salt.

Lastly, use freshly floor black pepper, all the time. Pre-ground pepper is almost flavorless and never value the fee.

Tomato Cucumber Salad Variation

Simple! Layer some thinly sliced cucumber into this recipe. I favor English cucumber or Persian cucumber for his or her crisp texture and fewer bitter pores and skin. In case you’re utilizing a daily backyard cucumber, style a slice first—if the pores and skin is bitter, peel it off earlier than slicing the remainder. Or strive my Cucumber Tomato Salad with Greek Dressing for a scrumptious different.

Extra Variations

This tomato salad recipe is so versatile. For a extra hearty salad, add some mozzarella or ripe avocado. If in case you have arugula, strive including a handful or two. You may even substitute ripe peaches for a number of the tomatoes. The recipe (under) supplies steering on portions and how you can layer in these optionally available components.

Craving extra tomatoes earlier than summer season ends? Beneath are a number of of my favourite recipes that includes juicy uncooked tomatoes, or you may browse all tomato recipes right here.