At peak season, tomatoes need little more than a sprinkling of salt. But when you’re feeling something a little more composed, turn to this simple Tomato and Shallot Salad. It’s a simple side dish that highlights the sweet flavor of tomatoes with frizzled shallots, garlic and a drizzle of infused oil.
The most important component of this fresh tomato salad is, not surprisingly, the tomatoes. You need juicy, perfectly ripe tomatoes for this side dish to be a hit. We opt for heirloom tomatoes because first off, they’re prettier. But they also tend to have more firm flesh and less seeds.
The second component is a frizzled shallot topping made with just a handful of simple ingredients. This unfussy topping catapults tomatoes into showstopper territory.
And finally, finish the tomatoes and shallots off with three things tomatoes love—flaky sea salt, black pepper and red wine vinegar. Oh, and basil!
Ingredient Notes
Tomatoes
You can use any large variety of tomato for this salad. Like I said earlier, I prefer to heirloom tomatoes because they have more flesh and less seeds. They also add a nice visual contrast in colors. If you’re using regular vine-ripe, Better Boy or Big Beef varieties, scoop out some of the seeds to avoid watering down the salad.
Capers
We recommend using brined capers as opposed to salt-cured capers. If you use salt-cured capers you will need to rinse them a few times to remove the salt from their exterior. Brined are easier to use and have a lighter, more floral flavor to them. Be sure to pat them dry very well before using.
Flaky Sea Salt
Flaky sea salt not only seasons, but it adds a bit of crunch too. It’s the perfect finish for any fresh produce, but especially juicy tomatoes. I get mine online, but you can also find it in more major grocery stores.
A Quick Rundown of How to Make
- The first step is to make the frizzled shallot topping. Start by cooking the sliced shallots and sliced garlic in hot olive oil until starting to toast. Keep an eye on the shallots and garlic, they can brown quickly, so moderating the heat may be needed.
Burnt garlic is bitter and astringent, do your best to avoid over-cooking the garlic. If needed, using tongs or kitchen tweezers to pull pieces out that are perfectly browned so they don’t over-cook.
- Add the capers (be careful and maybe stand back, the moisture in the capers will cause the oil to splatter a bit).
- Continue cooking the topping mixture until the garlic, shallots and capers are golden brown, this will take just a couple of minutes. Then stir in the pepper flakes and cook for just 10 seconds before transferring the frizzled shallots to a small bowl.
- Finally, assemble! Thinly slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a plate, slightly overlapping. Spoon the frizzle shallot and garlic mixture over top. Season with flaky sea salt and serve immediately.
Test Kitchen Tips
- You can prep the frizzled shallot and garlic mixture up to 2 days ahead of time. Store the mixture in a glass container with a tight fitting lid at room temperature.
- Once you make this a couple of times, feel free to play around with the spices you add to the shallot topping. Instead of, or in addition to, the red pepper flakes you can add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, or coriander seeds.
- Feel free to use any fresh herb you have on hand. Basil is an obvious pairing, but so is parsley, thyme or rosemary.
What to Do with Leftovers
I will say this ’till the day I die—a refrigerated tomato is a sad tomato. Don’t store any kind of tomato in the refrigerator! Store tomatoes at room temperature.
BUT, if you have leftovers of this salad, I would revamp them into a tomato sauce for pasta. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The following day, heat a skillet over medium, add a glug of olive oil and cook the leftovers down into a sauce.
While the sauce cooks down, cook some pasta in salted boiling water. Reserve some pasta cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce then drizzle in the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to reach a silky, saucy texture. Stir in fresh basil and grated Parmesan right before serving.
Bulk It Up a Bit
- Add thin shreds of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.
- Add mozzarella pearls or torn chunks of fresh mozzarella.
- Play around with different vinegars—white balsamic, tarragon, or champagne vinegar would all be delicious.
How to Use Frizzled Shallots
The frizzled shallot topping can be served over creamy soup, spooned over hummus, used as a topping for pan-seared chicken breast or added to a fresh salad.
Use any leftover infused oil to make a homemade vinaigrette or drizzle it over roasted vegetables. It’s also delicious tossed with cooked pasta or rice.
More Tomato Recipes to Try
Summer Salads
Simple Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Sauces & Dressings
Easy Cherry Tomato Sauce
Soups, Stews & Chilis
Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
Appetizers
Tomato Tarts with Puff Pastry
Tomato and Shallot Salad
Description
Save This Recipe!
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon capers, patted dry
- 1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- 1 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- Flaky sea salt
- 3 large basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium until shimmering. Add garlic and shallot; sauté until just starting to toast, 2 minutes.
- Add capers (be careful adding to hot oil) and continue to cook until garlic, shallots and capers are golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Add pepper flakes and sauté to toast, about 10 seconds. Transfer mixture to a small bowl.
- Arrange tomatoes in a single layer over a large plate or platter. Spoon shallot mixture over top then drizzle infused oil over top. Drizzle vinegar over top then season with flaky sea salt.
- Serve immediately.
This was very good!