Easy Tomato Salad

Easy tomato salad with capers, herbs and a simple lemon olive oil dressing is the perfect way to use juicy, ripe tomatoes.

Ingredients needed

• Fresh tomatoes. Use any variety of ripe tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, Grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, beefsteak, etc. are all good options.
• Capers.
• Red onion.
• Fresh herbs: Parsley, basil, dill and oregano all work well with tomatoes.
• Olive oil.
• Fresh lemon juice. 
• Salt and pepper. 
• Optional extras: Feel free to add cheeses like Feta cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.

Tips for making the best tomato salad

1. Make sure you use seasonal, ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes you have aren’t bright red or ripe yet, leave them out on the counter for a few days. The riper your tomatoes, the juicier and more flavorful they’ll be.
2. Even though tomatoes are acidic they love a bit of vinegar or fresh lemon juice. You could use red wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar in this recipe. I like the freshness the lemon adds though so I always add a squeeze along with vinegar to the vinaigrette.
3. Tomatoes love fresh herbs so I use both fresh basil leaves and parsley in this summer salad. You could use oregano, marjoram or thyme too.
4. Don’t be shy with salt. Tomatoes can handle way more salt than you think.
5. Dress the fresh tomato salad 5-10 minutes before serving. The salt will draw a lot of juice from the tomatoes and will mingle with the dressing to make the most amazing saucy dressing. Don’t waste a drop of it, it’s super delicious!

How to cut tomatoes for salad

If using large tomatoes, slice them in half. Slice each halve into 6-8 pieces, depending on how chunky you want your salad. If using cherry tomatoes, simply halve them and if they’re very small, you can keep them whole.

Can I make tomato salad in advance?

You could assemble the salad in a large salad bowl up to an hour in advance, cover and keep at room temperature. Add the dressing 5-10 minutes before you are planning to serve.

Serving suggestions

1. Serve as a side dish to any grilled chicken or meat.
2. With Focaccia and shavings of Parmesan cheese.
3. Tear in a ball of fresh mozzarella for an easy twist on Caprese salad.

Easy salad recipes

1. Marinated zucchini salad
2. Tomato avocado salad
3. Easy side salad with lemon dressing
4. Corn and grilled zucchini salad

Tomato recipes

1. Roasted Caprese tomatoes
2. Easy tomato soup with grilled cheese
3. Grilled tomato caprese salad
4. Cucumber, tomato and red onion salad