Tomato salad comes together in five minutes and will be your next no-cook summer staple!
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Lettuce is great and all, but have you tried a tomato salad??
This might become my go-to side dish all summer long. It’s easy to chop up and throw together for a bright flavorful picnic or barbecue!
If you follow me on Instagram know that recently I was at my favorite market stall shortly before closing, and they were slashing their already cheap prices to get their produce sold. I’d intended to buy one cestino of my favorite tomatoes (a little more than a pint, I think), but he sold me an entire flat for twice as much. A flat is about 20×10 inches, 4 inches deep, and full of baby datterini tomatoes.
Naturally, that many tomatoes at once meant I experimented like crazy! I froze a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes for winter, popped at least 20% as snacks walking through the kitchen, and made tomato salads like they were going out of style.
Because it’s essentially just tomatoes dressed up, buy the best ones you can. I cringe now thinking about the bland tomatoes I used to buy at Walmart in Oklahoma – this salad wouldn’t work with those.
After a delicious week of recipe testing, I landed here. It’s very similar to Samin Nosrat’s version, but with a few shortcuts.
Speaking of shortcuts, I mentally have two versions of this. The official version is the one I’ll bring to parties. The other is the “toss together and keep in the fridge for a healthy lunch.” If you’re pressed for time just use one kind of tomatoes and serve in a bowl you can either stir well or has a lid to shake it up. It’s a little better if you can salt and let it sit for a few minutes, but as long as you properly salt before you throw it in the fridge, it’ll still be delicious.
If you’re scrounging lunch, add some cucumber and a boiled egg to this and it’s lunch. Or if we’re having salads, I’ll toss a scoop or two on top and skip dressing.
Basically: this is delish and should be part of your summer rotation. I highly recommend it with slices of cucumbers as well. But since my husband won’t eat anything that cucumbers may have touched, I add mine on the side.
Tools you’ll need: knife, cutting board, bowl or platter.
Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes medium (Roma)
- 1 lb tomatoes small (grape, cherry, or datterini)
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Core & slice the medium tomatoes. Spread the slices and salt well. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Quarter the small tomatoes and put in a bowl. Roughly chop the basil and parlsey, then add to the bowl.
- Add the oil and vinegars to the bowl along with salt and pepper and stir well.
- Taste and add more vinegar or salt if needed.
- To serve, spread the medium tomatoes into a ring on the plate. Pile the small tomatoes in the center.
The whole thing comes together in 5 minutes! What’s your favorite no-cook summer vegetable??
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