Does anything say more summer than a ripe, juicy, delicious tomato? Ok maybe some other things do, but this article isn't for them. This is the celebration for the tomato. Tomatoes that are sweet and acidic at once, tasting their best when they are a little warm from the sun. Peak tomato season lasts about six weeks from late July through early September, if you're lucky.
Summer tomatoes need a different approach to winter ones, they don't want a complicated recipe or cooking them down to try and extract all the flavour from them. They are best simple, light and with a glass of something cold. Here are the tomato recipes we'll have on repeat this summer.
My Favourite Tomato Salad
A big, juicy tomato salad is a staple everyone should know how to make well. Rather than shaking up a dressing, sprinkle the garlic, shallots and salt straight onto the tomato wedges. The flavour sticks better. Use everyday red tomatoes though if you can get them, heirloom tomatoes will add a great splash of colour.
Recipe courtesy of Recipe Tin Eats
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp finely minced shallots
- 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 pinches white pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely sliced basil leaves
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes into 8 or 10 wedges, cutting out the core. Place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle over shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.
- Gently toss to coat tomatoes. Add basil, toss again to disperse.
- Pour into bowl and serve immediately.
Panzanella
Filled with ripe, juicy tomatoes and crusty bread, this panzanella salad is a delicious summer meal. A shower of fresh basil takes it over the top.
Recipe courtesy of Love and Lemons
Ingredients
- ½ pound ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1½ pounds tomatoes, sliced into wedges or halved
- ½ English cucumber, sliced into half moons
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn (optional)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
- Sea salt
For the dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Heaping ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bread on the baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until crisp around the edges.
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Add the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, and bread to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add the cheese, if using, and the basil and gently toss. Season to taste and serve with more fresh basil on top.
Smoky Shrimp Saganaki
Inspired by Greek shrimp saganaki, this dish combines wonderfully sweet shrimp, tomatoes and feta with subtly smoky dried Mexican chiles. The aromatics — cherry tomatoes and garlic, plus an assortment of dried and fresh chiles — simmer and confit in oil in the oven, with shrimp and feta added toward the end of cooking, broiling quickly, to create a wonderfully oozy, charred dish.
Recipe courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi
Ingredients
- 1 chipotle chile (or similar), stem and seeds removed
- 1 ancho chile (or similar), stem and seeds removed
- 2 fresh long red chiles (or similar), split open lengthwise with the stem intact
- 1 head garlic (1 clove minced, the rest separated but left skin-on and whole)
- 24 ounces cherry tomatoes
- ¾cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
- 1(8-ounce) block feta
- ½ pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Add the chipotle chile, ancho chile, fresh chiles, whole garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes, oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper to a 10-inch cast-iron pan or an 8-by-11-inch broiler-safe baking dish. Tuck the dried chiles underneath so that they are submerged in oil to avoid burning. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir, keeping the dried chiles submerged in oil.
- Nestle the feta into the middle of the mixture, and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are nicely charred and the feta has softened, then remove from the oven.
- While the feta cooks, delicately butterfly the shrimp by making a shallow cut using a sharp paring knife along the back of each shrimp from head to tail.
- Set the broiler to the highest setting and let it heat up for 5 minutes.
- Stir the shrimp and the crushed garlic into the tomato mixture, leaving the feta whole in the middle. Broil on the top rack for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and the feta is golden brown.
- To serve, spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of the feta, then sprinkle over the cilantro. Serve with crusty bread.
Grilled Tomatoes
This grilled tomatoes recipe is one of my go-to's when the garden is overflowing. It's a fun, fresh way to mix things up for summer dinners. When you add a little garlic, a little spice, and a splash of olive oil to tomatoes, and char them on a hot grill, you get something truly magical. The sugars caramelize and the tomatoes become even sweeter and juicier, and just a little bit smoky. A sprinkle of fresh herbs at the end takes them to the next level. I love making these for easy, quick summer appetizers or side dishes.
Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 lb tomatoes (3 beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes or 8 roma tomatoes), cored and halved
- Chopped fresh basil or oregano, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat.
- Grill the tomatoes, cut-side down, until beginning to soften and nicely marked, 3 to 4 minutes, reserving the marinade. Flip and grill the other side until marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Transfer the tomatoes to a platter, drizzle with the remaining marinade, and garnish with chopped fresh herbs (if desired).