Tomato Salad — A Celebration of Summer’s Best Tomatoes

1 Choosing Your Tomatoes — The Heart of the Salad

If there’s one rule for a great tomato salad, it’s this: the tomatoes have to be good, and they have to be varied. This is not the place for a pack of watery, uniform supermarket rounds (you know my feelings on those by now).

I used five different varieties for the salad in these pictures — a mix of sizes, shapes and colours, from a big ribbed beefsteak down to little cherry tomatoes still on the vine, plus a couple of the darker, almost chocolatey ones and a green-when-ripe variety for contrast. That mix is the whole point. Different tomatoes bring different things: beefsteaks and oxhearts are meaty and mild; plum and San Marzano types are dense and sweet; cherry and datterini tomatoes are little bombs of sugar and acidity; and the dark ‘black’ varieties (Kumato, Black Krim and the like) have a deeper, almost savoury, umami quality. Green varieties such as Green Zebra stay sharp and zingy even when fully ripe.

Aim for at least three varieties — more if you can find them. A good greengrocer, farm shop or, as in my case, a Turkish or Mediterranean grocer will usually do far better than the big supermarkets. And a word on seasonality: British tomatoes are at their absolute best from roughly July through to September, with the Isle of Wight crop being particularly worth seeking out. You can make this salad earlier in the year, but it truly sings in high summer — so if you’re reading this in spring, bookmark it.

Two non-negotiables on handling. First, never keep tomatoes in the fridge — the cold kills their flavour and turns the flesh mealy. Keep them on the worktop, out of direct sunlight. Second, always serve them at room temperature; a fridge-cold tomato tastes of almost nothing.

2 How to Dress a Tomato Salad

Here’s the loose method — and I do mean loose. There’s no cooking, no precise science, just good ingredients treated simply.

Slice your tomatoes however suits their shape: big ones into rounds, plum tomatoes lengthways, cherry tomatoes simply halved. Don’t go too thin — you want some bite. Lay them out on a wide platter rather than piling them into a bowl; it looks better and they dress more evenly.

Now season. I scatter over a good twist of sea salt and let the tomatoes sit for five or ten minutes. This does two things: it seasons them properly, and it draws out some of their juices, which mingle with the oil and vinegar to make a dressing of their own. Then comes a tablespoon of really good extra virgin olive oil, a couple of teaspoons of sherry vinegar (my vinegar of choice here — it has a mellow, nutty depth that red wine vinegar can’t match), my thinly sliced spring onions, a teaspoon of za’atar and a handful of chopped chives. A final crack of black pepper, and that’s it.

One last tip: a tomato salad made this way leaves the most wonderful pool of tomatoey, oily, vinegary juice at the bottom of the plate. Do not waste it. A hunk of good bread to mop it up is, frankly, the best bit.

3 Tomato Salad with Cheese

Cheese and tomatoes are very good friends — few pairings are as natural. The classic is fresh mozzarella, or better still burrata, torn over the top so the creamy middle spills into those tomato juices (add basil and you’ve more or less made a caprese). Feta takes the salad in a Greek direction, salty and crumbly. A few shavings of Parmesan or aged pecorino add a savoury, nutty hit. For something bolder, crumble over a blue — a creamy Gorgonzola or a good English Stilton both work beautifully against the sweetness of the tomatoes. Soft goat’s cheese, ricotta or a spoonful of labneh are all lovely too, and if the BBQ is already lit, a few slices of grilled or fried halloumi turn the salad into something close to a meal.

4 Tomato Salad with Cured Meats

This is where a tomato salad starts to feel like a proper antipasto spread. Italian hams are the obvious starting point — prosciutto di Parma, or the slightly sweeter San Daniele, draped over the tomatoes — and on the Spanish side, Serrano or, if you’re feeling indulgent, Ibérico ham. Bresaola, the air-dried beef, is a leaner, more elegant option. For a little spice, salami (Milano, fennel-flecked finocchiona, or a fiery Calabrian one) and chorizo both work a treat, and a smear of ‘nduja — that soft, spreadable spicy Calabrian sausage — is sensational stirred through the tomato juices. Don’t overlook the gentler options either: mortadella, speck, coppa, or thinly sliced cooked gammon all sit happily alongside good tomatoes.

5 Tomato Salad with Fish

The obvious choices are anchovies — the good salt-packed or Cantabrian ones, not the harsh tinned variety — or flakes of really good jarred tuna (ventresca, if you can find it, is a revelation). But this is a salad that rewards a little adventure. A carpaccio of scallop, or a few slices of sea bass crudo dressed with the same oil and a squeeze of lemon, makes an elegant starter. Sardines and mackerel, oily and robust, stand up well to the acidity of the tomatoes, and a little smoked salmon works surprisingly nicely. A few cooked prawns or some white crab meat would push it towards a proper summer lunch.

And if you’re cooking fish on the BBQ, a tomato salad is a lovely thing to serve alongside — particularly with whole grilled sea bass, salmon or sardines, or really any whole fish you char over the coals.

6 Herbs & Spices for Tomato Salad

For dried spice, my go-to is za’atar — that Middle Eastern blend of dried thyme, sesame and tangy sumac is made for tomatoes. Sumac on its own, with its sharp citrus note, is wonderful, as is a sprinkle of dukkah for crunch, or a pinch of Aleppo pepper (pul biber) for gentle warmth. Toasted fennel seeds are an underrated touch.

On the fresh side, the list really is endless. Basil is the classic, of course, but I love chives (and their purple flowers, if you grow them — you can see them scattered over the salad in the photos), along with thyme, oregano, tarragon, dill, mint and flat-leaf parsley. Soft herbs generally work better than woody ones here; a little goes a long way, and I’d lean towards one or two rather than throwing the whole herb garden at it.

7 Adding Other Vegetables

A tomato salad is a generous base for other vegetables, too. Cucumber is the natural partner — cooling and crunchy. Thinly sliced peppers, celery and radishes all add crunch; finely sliced red onion or shallot brings a sharp bite (soak it in a little of the vinegar first to take the edge off). Shaved fennel adds an aniseed freshness, ripe avocado a buttery richness, and a few capers or good olives a salty punch. Soft salad leaves or peppery rocket bulk it out into a fuller salad. Thinly sliced cooked new potatoes will turn it into something more substantial — and in high summer, don’t be afraid of a little fruit: peach, nectarine or watermelon with tomatoes is a genuinely brilliant, slightly unexpected combination.

8 Tomato Salads Around the World

One of the loveliest things about the tomato is how many cultures have their own way with it. Here are a few directions you might take your salad — none of them are strict recipes, just inspiration.

Italy gives us the most famous of all, the caprese: tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. But don’t miss panzanella, the Tuscan salad that soaks chunks of stale bread in tomato juices, oil and vinegar — the ultimate use for those leftover juices I keep banging on about.

In Greece, the village salad (horiatiki) skips lettuce entirely in favour of big wedges of tomato, cucumber, onion and green pepper, with olives and a slab of feta, all dressed simply with olive oil and oregano.

Across the Middle East and Turkey, you’ll find finely diced salads such as the Turkish çoban salatası (‘shepherd’s salad’) — tomato, cucumber, onion and pepper chopped small — and the Levantine fattoush, sharp with sumac and studded with crisp shards of toasted flatbread.

North Africa leans into spice, with chopped tomato salads seasoned with cumin, a little harissa and the perfume of preserved lemon. Head to India and kachumber brings tomato together with onion, cucumber, lemon, fresh coriander and a touch of cumin and chilli — the perfect cooling foil to a curry. And in Thailand, tomatoes turn up in salads dressed with fish sauce, lime and chilli: bright, punchy and herb-heavy.

The thread running through all of them? Good tomatoes, salt, an acid, a fat, and something fresh on top. Master that and you can travel the world from a single platter.

9 What to Serve with a Tomato Salad

As I said at the top, this salad was born as a BBQ side, and that’s still where I love it most. It cuts through rich, smoky, charred meats beautifully — those dry-aged beef burgers, the minted lamb cutlets and chicken kebabs that started this whole thing off. If you’re after something a bit more of an occasion, it’s a fresh, summery counterpoint to a herb-crusted rack of lamb, and it makes a lovely light starter or side at almost any summer table — even alongside a slow centrepiece like my slow-cooked beef brisket when the weather’s warm enough to eat outside.

Beyond meat, think grilled fish, as I mentioned above, or simply a good loaf, some cheese and a glass of cold rosé. Honestly, a great tomato salad needs very little around it to shine.

10 Make It Ahead, Make It a Meal & Storage

You can do most of the prep ahead — slice the tomatoes and keep them on a covered plate at room temperature (not the fridge), and make up the dressing separately. I’d hold off on salting and dressing until fairly close to serving, though, or the tomatoes can go a little flabby as they sit. Twenty or thirty minutes of macerating is lovely; several hours, less so.

To make it a meal in its own right, build it up: add a grain such as couscous or freekeh, a protein from the lists above, and some torn bread, and you’ve got lunch sorted.

As for leftovers — a dressed tomato salad doesn’t keep well overnight, but it has a brilliant second life. Tip the lot, juices and all, into a pan and you have the makings of a quick pasta sauce or the base of a gazpacho; or tear in some bread and let it sit, panzanella-style. Waste not.

11 Tomato Salad FAQ

Should you keep tomatoes in the fridge?

No. The cold dulls their flavour and makes the texture mealy. Store them on the worktop out of direct sunlight, and always serve at room temperature.

Should you salt tomatoes before making a salad?

Yes — and it’s the single most useful tip here. A little sea salt 5–10 minutes ahead seasons the tomatoes and draws out juices that become part of the dressing.

What are the best tomatoes for a tomato salad?

Whatever is ripest and most flavourful, and ideally a mix — aim for at least three varieties of different sizes and colours. Beefsteak, plum, cherry, vine and darker ‘black’ varieties together give the best range of flavour and texture.

What’s the best dressing for a tomato salad?

Keep it simple: good extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, sea salt and pepper, plus spring onions and a few herbs. Let the tomato juices do half the work.

Can you make a tomato salad ahead of time?

You can slice the tomatoes and make the dressing in advance, but salt and dress it no more than about half an hour before serving for the best texture.

Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Botanically, it’s a fruit (a berry, in fact). In the kitchen, we treat it as a vegetable. Either way — as I may have mentioned once or twice — just buy a good one.

12 Recipe-ingredients & instructions for my basic tomato salad