This is an awesome salad that never disappoints! I called it ‘tomato carpaccio’ because of the way I arranged the plate, but it really is quite simply a salad with sweet tomatoes and lightly marinated vegetables and herbs. For the longest time I used to serve it like this:
And while it’s still as delicious as it gets, I do think that the carpaccio style makes for an absolutely stunning presentation! Especially if we use a mix of colours and sizes. Don’t you agree? 🙂
The Flavour Affair:
Tomatoes + Red Wine Vinegar + Salt + EVOO + Garlic + Mint + Dill + Onions
This combination is responsible for the overall flavour profile of the dish: sweet, zesty and spicy with a fresh, aromatic finish. Even with just those ingredients and nothing else, you’ll get yourself a fabulous tomato carpaccio salad!
Tomatoes: we need sweet tomatoes here, because everything else is not. The sweeter and the meatier, the better! If you can get your hands on pink tomatoes from Baku, you are in for a treat. But I also find Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and most of yellow tomatoes to be reliably sweet.
Red Wine Vinegar: it does some kind of magic to tomatoes. It deepens the flavour and brings out their natural sweetness. I’m pretty sure it even brightens up the colour! Just a little splash of red wine vinegar is enough to transform plain tomatoes into a vibrant dish with a hint of sophistication. A little disclaimer: here in Dubai, I cannot get red wine vinegar in supermarkets, so I use something called ‘Red Grape Vinegar’. It works great!
Salt: I like to use rock salt for its clean, pure taste.
EVOO: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is mixed with red vinegar to tone down its acidity and sharpness. Good quality EVOO will also have its own flavour nuances that can range from fruity to peppery.
Garlic: one small clove of garlic, minced, adds a little heat and creates a bolder overall flavour.
Onions: I like to use sweet red onions here. They are not too sharp, and you can soak them in ice water to make them taste milder. Pungent and crunchy, they are perfect with sweet meaty tomatoes.
Mint and Dill: my choice of fresh herbs here. In Russia, we use dill a lot, and it always makes me a bit nostalgic. Dill and mint work very well together, adding a fresh burst and accentuating the summery feel.
Other Ingredients:
Enhance your salad by adding a few more items:
- Fresh cucumber – for a juicy crunch;
- Bell pepper – to add another sweet element;
- Kalamata olives – for a different kind of salty: briny and pickle-like.
Last but not least, you can always choose to add a few chunks of rich, sweet, creamy burrata! Although that will make it more of a dish on its own, as opposed to a versatile side salad:
Preparation tips for Tomato Carpaccio with Cucumber Salsa and Marinated Onions:
The trick is to briefly marinate onions and other vegetables (except tomatoes) in the red wine vinaigrette to get a refreshing, zesty salsa. When ready to serve, the salsa is scooped over the tomatoes, immediately infusing them with the flavours.
- Start by thinly slicing red onion into full circles. Place into a small bowl and cover with ice water. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. (You can skip this step if you are fine with the pungency of the onion).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.5 tbsp of red wine vinegar with 2 tbsp evoo. Add a pinch or rock salt and a small clove of garlic, minced. Taste and if you feel there is too much acid, add another table spoon of evoo.
- Chop the cucumber very finely. I used a mandolin slicer and then chopped the strips – that way the pieces are really tiny, which is great for salsa.
- Chop the bell pepper, also very finely. Bell pepper is firmer than cucumber and easier to chop with a sharp knife.
- Pit and chop 6-8 meaty Kalamata olives.
- Chop a bunch of mint and dill leaves – we need about one table spoon each.
- Add the cucumbers, bell pepper, olives, herbs and drained red onion to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes. Alternatively, keep in the fridge and use the day after if you are preparing it in advance. The vegetables will just get more pickled.
- When ready to serve, slice your tomatoes horizontally into thin circles. Half the small cherry tomatoes. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle across some evoo. Scoop up the salsa and generously top all over. Decorate with fresh mint leaves and finish off with a couple of grinds of black pepper mill.
- Serve immediately – the tomatoes will quickly release their juices and become a bit soggy.
This tomato carpaccio goes amazingly well with grilled meats such as beef steaks, lamb chops or koftas. It is also great with fish or chicken – grilled, roasted or baked. Or it can serve as a dish on its own, especially topped with fresh burrata. One way or another, it will be a fabulous addition to your table!
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Tomato Carpaccio with Cucumber Salsa and Marinated Onions
Ingredients
For tomato carpaccio:
- 5-6 mixed medium tomatoes
- A few small cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp mint leaves
- EVOO
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa:
- 1 cucumber very finely chopped (see notes)
- 1/2 small bell pepper very finely chopped
- 6-8 Kalamata olives pitted and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 red onion thinly sliced into full circles
- 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar see notes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp evoo
- 1/2 tsp rock salt
Instructions
- If you find the taste of red onion too sharp, soak it in ice water for 10-15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, one minced clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp rock salt. Taste and add more evoo if you wish to tone down the acidity.
- Add finely chopped cucumber, bell pepper, Kalamata olives, fresh herbs and onion rings.
- Gently mix to make sure the vegetables are coated in the marinade and leave for at least 20 minutes.
- When ready to serve, thinly slice larger tomatoes across and half cherry tomatoes. Arrange on a serving plate.
- Drizzle with EVOO and generously top with salsa.
- Decorate with mint leaves and finish off with freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- To slice the cucumber very thinly, use a mandolin slicer to get fine strips and then chop them across.
- You can use red grape vinegar in place of red wine vinegar.
- You can also serve it as a salad in a bowl. The principle is the same – marinating vegetables in the vinaigrette before adding the tomatoes – but instead of finely chopping cucumber, pepper and olives you can just cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- For a variation, top the plate with chunks of fresh creamy burrata.
