Fresh tomato onion salad with the best of summer’s juicy heirloom tomatoes, capers and fresh herbs dressed in a lovely olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. Enjoy with crumbles of dairy free feta cheese or mozzarella + a slice of crusty bread or bruschetta to mop up all those juices.

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Tomato Onion Salad

I’m always crushing on heirloom tomatoes, all the different colors, shapes and sizes. They scream hot summer days, health, happiness and deliciousness. Today I’m particularly fond of the red ones, they remind me of last summer in Sicily when we started every single day with a big bowl of this tomato onion salad / Pomodoro salad with fresh basil and freshly baked crusty bread for breakfast. The life, i tell you!

Choosing the Best Tomatoes for Salad

Look for plump heirloom tomatoes with stems still attached if possible. They should be heavy for their size with a little give but not mushy.
Make sure there are no cracks or bruising but irregularities are fine with heirloom tomatoes. Some could appear quite ugly but their flavor is outstanding.
You should be able to smell them before slicing, as my grandma used to say “no smell, no flavor”. Look for a fragrant tomato scent where the stem is or used to be.
I used red tomatoes this time, but you can certainly go wild with a mix of colors here like I did when making grandpa’s timeless tomato cucumber salad.

How to Cut Tomatoes for Salad

Use a sharp serrated knife and slice each tomato in half through the core. With a pairing knife remove and discard the little core from each half.
Slice the tomatoes into 3/4 inch wedges and add them into a salad bowl. Do not get rid of the seeds and the flesh surrounding them, they will add magic to the dressing.

Tips + Variations

The Onion – I love using thinly sliced red onion here, shallots or purple Italian spring onions when I have them growing in the garden. That being said any sweet onion will work fine, I’m fond of the Vidalia variety myself.
Maceration Period – With any tomato or pasta salad a 10 to 20 minute maceration period is recommended for best results. Basically you are allowing the acid in the dressing to soften the tomatoes and onions and combine with their flavorful juices for a divine marriage of flavors.
Make ahead – Since tomatoes do not like the cold and become mealy when refrigerated it’s best to toss your salad no longer than 20 minutes before serving and enjoyed fresh. Refrigerated leftovers will be fine the next day but not exceptional.
Serving suggestions – mashed potatoes, pesto pizza, bruschetta, focaccia, pesto quinoa salad, Italian roasted potatoes, bread stuffing.
Dressing Variations – go for this basil walnut pesto, a balsamic reduction or lemon basil oil instead of the classic olive oil vinaigrette.

Note Worthy

Onions have amazing cancer fighting properties, antiviral, antibiotic + anti-inflammatory.
Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, they are also loaded with vitamins and lutein which helps with healthy vision.

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