Description
Delicious Mediterranean tomato garlic salad highlights fresh ingredients with robust Mediterranean flavors. Crisp ingredients blend perfectly, creating a simple yet elegant side dish you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tomatoes, ripe (Roma, cherry, or heirloom), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice for brightness)
- ¼ cup (10 g) fresh basil or parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup (30 g) crumbled feta or mozzarella pearls
- 1 tbsp (10 g) toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt
- ¼ tsp (1.25 g) black pepper
- ½ tsp (1 g) dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) red pepper flakes (for a little heat)
Instructions
- Preparation: Carefully cube ripe tomatoes into uniform, bite-sized pieces to ensure consistent texture and visual appeal.
- Garlic Processing: Finely mince fresh garlic cloves to unlock their intense, aromatic profile and distribute flavor evenly throughout the salad.
- Composition: Combine chopped tomatoes and minced garlic in a spacious mixing bowl, creating a vibrant and fragrant base for the dish.
- Dressing: Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the mixture, coating the ingredients with a luxurious sheen and enhancing the overall flavor complexity.
- Seasoning: Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to accentuate the tomatoes’ natural sweetness and balance the garlic’s robust character.
- Integration: Gently fold the ingredients using a wide, sweeping technique, ensuring thorough distribution without damaging the delicate tomato pieces.
- Flavor Development: Allow the salad to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, enabling the ingredients to harmonize and intensify their individual notes.
- Finishing Touch: Optionally, garnish with fresh basil or parsley to introduce a bright, herbaceous dimension and elevate the salad’s visual and aromatic appeal.
Notes
- Select Peak-Ripeness Tomatoes: Choose deeply colored, fragrant tomatoes that feel heavy and yield slightly when gently pressed to ensure maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Prep Garlic Strategically: Mince garlic just before adding to prevent bitter oxidation and preserve its robust, aromatic qualities for a more refined taste profile.
- Master Seasoning Balance: Add salt gradually and taste repeatedly to prevent over-salting, allowing the tomatoes’ natural sweetness to shine through without overwhelming the delicate flavors.
- Optimize Resting Time: Allow the salad to sit at room temperature for exactly 5-10 minutes, which helps ingredients marry together and intensifies the overall taste experience while maintaining the tomatoes’ fresh texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg