Chopped Tomato Salad

Jeff the Chef
"Chopped Tomato Salad," from Make It Like a Man!

The aroma of this chopped tomato salad cannot be ignored. It’s like you’re the number one pin, and its pungency is a bowling ball hurtling straight for you. But if its scent is bold, its flavor is nonetheless well rounded; it’s quite distinctive and delicious. Be warned, though: this intensely fragrant salad might be NSFW if you plan to eat it around others who aren’t into amazing foodie food as much as you are.

Chopped Tomato Salad
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Chopped Tomato Salad

Servings

4

servings

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs red, yellow, and green tomatoes

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 shallot, peeled

  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled

  • 2-1/2 tsp dried oregano (or marjoram)

  • Olive oil

  • 4-8 basil leaves

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  • Put a large pot of water on to boil. Use a tomato knife to cut a shallow X on the end of each tomato, opposite the stem. Prepare an ice bath. Use a Chinese spider to lower the tomatoes into the boiling water. After 30 seconds, use the end of the spider’s handle to poke at the tomatoes – not hard, but not too gently, either. As soon as you see that the skins are splitting, pour the tomatoes into a colander, and then transfer them to the ice bath. Pull the skins off the tomatoes (which seems easiest under cold running water) and place them on a cutting board.
  • Quarter the tomatoes. Cut out and discard their stems, cutting deep enough to include any tough part of the core. Remove and discard the seeds and locular gel. Cut the tomato flesh into 1/4-inch dice and place it in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and allow to stand for 25 minutes.
  • Transfer tomato to a colander and allow to drain until the tomato seems moist or even damp, rather than dripping wet: 30 minutes or even considerably more. Press down gently on the tomato to hurry the process along.
  • Mince the shallot together with the garlic. Transfer the tomato flesh to a storage bowl. Add the shallot mixture and the oregano, and toss. (Season with more salt, optionally.) Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate overnight.
  • Drain the tomato mixture again, thoroughly. Place a 3-3/4 to 4-1/4-inch biscuit cutter or pastry ring on a salad plate. Spoon tomato mixture in and tamp it down with the back of the spoon until the ring is packed full. Use a paper towel to soak up any liquid that may seep onto the plate, around the edge of the ring. Run a knife around the interior of the ring and carefully unmold the salad. Drizzle generously with oil. Garnish with a basil leaf or two. Sprinkle with black pepper. Repeat for 3 more servings.

Notes

  • I used only one green tomato. Two-thirds of the rest were red.
  • Green tomatoes’ skins may take longer to split. If you don’t find them peeling as easily as the other tomatoes, use a vegetable peeler.
  • I don’t find that the drained tomato needs salt. The salt used to draw out the liquid provides seasoning enough. But follow your own tastes.
"Chopped Tomato Salad," from Make It Like a Man!

Social Learning

This salad is quite bold in a way that favors the adventurous eater – although you could easily tame it if you wished (by dramatically cutting back on the shallot). If the ingredient list is fiendishly simple, the method is nonetheless a lot of fussy work involving a ton of tedious chopping and several excruciatingly long waiting periods. But if you turn out to be the right kind of eater for this very interesting salad, the payoff is tremendous.

It keeps well leftover. You do have to drain it every time you want to extract another serving, because it never seems to stop seeping juices. I tossed one leftover serving into a huge bowl full of a garden salad, and it was right at home there.

Full disclosure: my husband said the raw shallot gave him heartburn. Nothing like that happened to me, but I suspect that my internal plumbing is made of cast iron. Griswold, of course.

All the juice you strain from the tomatoes, you could save and put to use in many places where a flavorful liquid would be called for, or in place of water that you might use in a savory dish or sauce.

Chopped Tomato Salad

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. Thanks, Prosper Circle. References: The Editors of Martha Stewart Living, “Chopped Tomato Salad.” In Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: The Original Classics. (New York, NY: Clarkson Potter, 2007), 142.

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32 thoughts on “Chopped Tomato Salad”

  1. Gorgeous presentation — and, with fresh, summer tomatoes, this can’t be beat! I have made many a tomato salad — but your instructions for prepping (the draining — brilliant!) will take a tomato salad like mine to the 5-star level. I think I would skip the shallot — as I get older (why is that happening so fast?), I just cannot tolerate raw allium — nothing to do with my garlic allergy, though. I’m Just old and don’t have your cast iron stomach. Jealous a bit…

    Reply

    • Ah, you and my husband, then. I know what you mean, though. The older I get, the less I can eat of really rich things, like chocolate.

      Reply

  5. Somehow I lost my first comment, damn it, so love the analogy of the bowling ball hurtling down the lane toward the pin. So much going on here Jeff and so creative and fresh. Perhaps a small springform tin with the base removed could work as a mould, not sure that I have anything else. I wouldn’t have thought that one shallot would be too much for this amount of tomato, perhaps the tomatoes were just a bit acidic as well, just thinking of your husband:) anyway all very healthy and delicious and attractive. A work of art. Our summer will be here very soon to try salads like yours. Great post, thanks
    Pauline recently posted…Baked Granny Smith Apples Recipe

    Reply

    • You’re welcome! (I hate it when I lose comments that I’m tring to post, too!)

      Reply

    • A tomato knife is like a small bread knife, but with a couple of pointy tips. You can use a bread knife. (I often do if it’s handier.) A Chinese spider is so useful for so many things. Anything you want to fish out of a liquid, especially if the items are large or if you want to move a ton of smaller items quickly.

      Reply

  8. I really like the presentation with the biscuit cutter here, Jeff – very creative! And I do like my foods to smell like bowling balls, so I think this earned a spot on the list. Neither of us work in an office setting anymore, but if I did I would want to take this in and then microwave some fish with it. Thoughts?
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Raspberry Crumb Donuts

    Reply

  11. The simplicity of this dish proves you need just a few quality ingredients to take a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. Tomatoes have reached their peak in many parts of the country and this is a great way to highlight the perfection of a ripe tomato.

    Velva

    Reply

    • That’s so true. You can hardly go wrong with a fresh, in-season, local tomato.

      Reply

  12. An absolutely perfect summer salad. It’s spectacular too! Raw onions give me heartburn too, try soaking them in cold water to help subdue the harsh flavour. But if it’s really bad, I’ve often substituted green onions which add a similar flavour without the unpleasant side effects.
    Eva Taylor recently posted…Pear Tart Tatin

    Reply

    • That’s a great idea about the soaking. I often do that with onion, but I hadn’t considered doing it with shallots … but of course!

      Reply

  15. At first glance this could be mistaken for tuna tartare. What a beautiful presentation — not only it’s form, but the variety of colors is so appetizing. The perfect appetizer to wow guests when tomatoes are peak season — now! 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply

    • Thanks, Valentina. Yes, I can see what you mean about the presentation!

      Reply

    • You’re welcome! It was a pleasure to visit your blog. I’m sure I’ll do so again soon!

      Reply

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