Heirloom Tomato Salad

When tomatoes are this juicy and colorful, they really don’t need much fussing with.

This heirloom tomato salad keeps things beautifully simple with sweet ripe tomatoes, crisp red onion, fresh herbs, olive oil, and plenty of seasoning.

 

There are salads that need ten ingredients and three separate bowls.

This is not one of them.

Here, the tomatoes are the whole point.

You’ve got thick slices of red and golden tomatoes, plenty of thinly sliced red onion, fresh herbs, cracked black pepper and just enough dressing pooling at the bottom of the plate.

That little bit of liquid matters.

It’s a mix of tomato juice, extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and honestly, it might be the best part.

Give it ten minutes to sit before serving and the tomatoes start releasing their juices into the dressing.

That’s when everything gets really good.

 

Ingredients

This serves 4 as a side.

• 700g ripe mixed tomatoes, preferably red and yellow
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for finishing
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Small handful fresh basil
• Small handful fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated, optional
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, optional

Start With Really Good Tomatoes

This is not the recipe for sad winter tomatoes.

You want ripe ones that smell like tomatoes before you even cut into them.

Use a mix of red and yellow if you can.

It gives the salad the same bright, summery look as the photo and makes the whole plate more interesting.

• Slice the larger tomatoes into thick rounds.
• Cut any smaller ones into halves or thick wedges.
• Arrange them loosely on a large plate or shallow serving bowl.

Don’t line them up too neatly.

This salad should look generous and slightly messy.

That’s part of the charm.

Slice the Red Onion Thinly

The red onion needs to be noticeable, but not aggressive.

Thin slices are important here.

• Cut the red onion into very thin half-moons.
• Scatter them all over the tomatoes.

If your onion is especially strong, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes first.

Then drain and pat them dry.

That takes away some of the harsh raw bite without making them bland.

Make the Dressing

The dressing is very simple.

That means the quality of the olive oil actually matters.

Use an extra-virgin olive oil you genuinely like the taste of.

• Add the olive oil to a small bowl.
• Add the red wine vinegar.
• Add the black pepper.
• Add the grated garlic, if using.
• Whisk briefly with a fork.

That’s it.

There’s no need to turn this into a full vinaigrette situation.

The tomatoes will release juice and loosen everything naturally.

Dress the Salad

This is where the salad starts to come together.

• Spoon the dressing evenly over the tomatoes and onions.
• Sprinkle over the sea salt.
• Add the dried oregano, if using.
• Tear or roughly chop the basil and parsley.
• Scatter the herbs over the top.
• Add a little grated Parmesan if you want that salty finish you can see lightly sprinkled over the tomatoes.

The photo looks very lightly dressed.

You should still be able to see the tomatoes clearly, not have them swimming in oil.

Let It Sit

This step is easy to underestimate.

Give the salad about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Not an hour.

Not overnight.

Just long enough for the salt to draw a little juice out of the tomatoes and for that juice to mix with the olive oil and vinegar.

You’ll start seeing a glossy reddish dressing gathering at the bottom of the plate.

That’s exactly what you want.

Spoon a little of it back over the top before serving.

Don’t Be Shy With the Sea Salt

Tomatoes need salt.

Properly.

A tiny decorative pinch won’t do much.

The sea salt pulls out their natural sweetness and makes the vinegar taste softer.

Use flaky sea salt if you have it.

Sprinkle most of it before resting, then add one final light pinch right before serving.

That gives you little salty hits across the top rather than seasoning only the liquid underneath.

The Best Herbs for This Salad

Basil is the obvious one, and for good reason.

Fresh basil and ripe tomatoes just work.

The photo also looks like it has some chopped parsley scattered through it, so I’d use both.

You can leave the basil leaves slightly larger and chop the parsley more finely.

That gives you those little green flecks across the plate without turning everything into herb salad.

A pinch of dried oregano also works really well with the red wine vinegar.

Just don’t go overboard.

You want fresh tomato first, herbs second.

What to Serve It With

This is one of those side dishes that fits almost anywhere.

Serve it with grilled vegetables, roast chicken, fish, pasta, bread or a big summer spread.

It’s especially good with toasted sourdough.

Actually, I’d argue the bread is almost necessary.

Once the tomatoes have been sitting for a few minutes, you’ll have that olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice at the bottom of the plate.

Leaving that behind feels wrong.

Use the bread.

Can I Make It Ahead?

A little bit.

You can slice the onion and make the dressing earlier in the day.

I would not fully assemble the salad hours in advance.

Once tomatoes are salted, they start releasing liquid.

That’s great for 10 or 15 minutes.

After a few hours, you can end up with soft tomatoes sitting in a puddle.

For the best texture, slice and dress everything shortly before serving.

A Few Small Things That Make It Better

Use tomatoes at room temperature.

Cold tomatoes straight from the fridge taste noticeably duller.

Slice them thickly too.

Thin tomato slices collapse quickly once the dressing hits them.

Use red wine vinegar rather than something sweeter like balsamic if you want the fresher, sharper flavour in this version.

And don’t drown the salad in olive oil.

Three tablespoons is plenty for this amount of tomato.

You want everything glossy, not greasy.

Final Touch

Just before serving, give the plate one last scatter of herbs, a few turns of black pepper and another small pinch of flaky sea salt.

Then spoon some of those tomato juices from the bottom back over the top.

That’s the bit that makes the whole thing taste like more than tomatoes and onions on a plate.

Simple, sharp, juicy and very hard to stop picking at.