About This Recipe

When it comes to summer recipes, tomato salad has to be one that comes to my mind as soon as the mercury starts to rise. Tomato salad recipes in their simplest form can be nothing more than a few generous slices of ripe tomato, garnished by little more than some cracked black pepper and a generous pinch of coarse sea salt. 

So popular is this ‘caprese’ styled tomato salad, that it’s often hard to imagine anything else. 

However, explore the culinary delights of Spain, and in particular the Mediterranean coast, and you’ll find a wealth of rich and colorful Mediterranean tomato salad recipes that use adventurous ingredients that tantalize the tastebuds during the summer months. Try our 5-minute Spanish tomato salad with a twist (fennel seeds), or our delicious tomato burrata salad with basil and garlic dressing.

This tomato salad recipe combines ingredients from a classic Murcian Salad (giant capers, red onion) along with shaved pieces of Manchego cheese and Serrano ham. Top this with a homemade pesto dressing and you’ve got a quick and easy tomato salad that is worthy of a festive summer BBQ or luscious poolside lunch! 

Hello Summer! We’ve missed you! 

Looking for more summer recipe inspiration? 

Check out our shrimp and avocado salad recipe and our Spanish potato salad recipe without mayonnaise. 

Best Tomatoes to Use

We have used three different varieties of tomatoes for this recipe, simply to add some different color and flavor. No tomato variety is created equal and you’ll do well to steer clear of the most common ‘salad tomato’ variety that’s so commonly found in supermarkets, for this recipe anyway where they’re one of the stars. 

Use locally sourced tomatoes

Choose a few different varieties and look for ripe tomatoes that are firm and ready to eat immediately. Locally sourced tomatoes will always be best, as they’ll be fresher and often can be found organically grown, giving them a better flavor and color. 

When choosing your tomatoes, check that the skin is firm and without any blemishes. If the stem is attached firmly to the tomato, that’s often a good sign. 

As we are in Spain, we have plenty of tomato variety options to choose from. Here are the tomato varieties we used for this recipe.

• Huevos de Toro (Bull’s Egg tomatoes)
• Kumato Alias Tomate Negro (Black tomatoes)
• Tomate De Terreno (Field tomatoes found in Spain during the summer only)

Summer tomatoes

Come summertime, there’s a bounty of fresh tomato varieties available and it’s a great time to explore the different flavors and textures of the different varieties. 

Here are some other common tomato varieties found around the world, and they are ideal for experimenting with a wide range of tomato recipes (including this salad);

• Cherry tomatoes – Available in a variety of colors, with sweet intense flavors. Excellent for salads and roasting.
• Beefsteak tomatoes – Large tomatoes with a fleshy texture. The fruit’s skin is smooth and brilliant red in color. Excellent all-purpose tomato.
• Brandywine – A large tomato with reddish-pink skin. They are sweet and great for salads because they have a meaty flesh and aren’t as watery as most other varieties. 
• Plum tomatoes – Of these, a popular variety is the Roma tomato, which is ideal for making salads, hot soup, and Spanish gazpacho due to the sweet flavors once ripened. Plum tomatoes are a great all-purpose tomato that’s also commonly found preserved in tins. 
• Green Zebra – A green-skinned tomato with a more acidic taste, these tomatoes are excellent for making sauces and jams. They can also be good in savory dishes.

Homemade Pesto

If there’s one thing that really makes this recipe pop, it’s the homemade pesto dressing. This dressing uses simple ingredients and requires no special equipment, although if you want to save some time, a nutribullet is the quickest way to get the right consistency. 

Ingredients for this homemade pesto dressing

• 1 tsp caster sugar – since caster sugar is so fine, it dissolves much more easily than other sugars, and helps balance out the vinegar.
• Handful of fresh parsley – Italian pesto typically uses basil, but we’ve used parsley because it’s the most common of all the herbs used in Spanish cooking. 
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar – you can also use red or white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar if you prefer.
• 30 g /1 oz. toasted flaked almonds – the most widely cultivated nut in Spain, and they’re extra tasty when toasted. 
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling – choose a quality olive oil whenever you can for salads, because it will provide a better flavor and be more nutritious. 
• 2 garlic cloves – adds a little zing to your pesto dressing, and raw garlic is extremely good for you as an added bonus. 

How to make homemade pesto dressing

For this salad, we’ve opted for a pesto-style ‘crushed’ salad dressing that uses some very easy-to-find ingredients. 

First, chop the parsley and peeled garlic cloves as finely as you can, then you’ll need to combine all of the ingredients. We used a mortar and pestle and it took around 2-3 minutes to combine everything. You want to make a thick dressing and not a paste so don’t overdo it when combining the ingredients. 

Cooking tip: If you’re using a blender or nutribullet, a few quick buzzes for 10 seconds at a time will do it. 

A note on the pesto dressing:

Hailing from Italy, “pesto” comes from the verb “pestare,” meaning “to crush.” We’ve adapted the typical recipe to use common Spanish ingredients.

Manchego Cheese

Manchego is a mature Spanish cheese that is from the inland Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. Manchego is prized for using milk of the Manchega sheep and can be easily identified by its distinctive brown herringbone rind. Manchego has a bold flavor that sharpens with age and often carries a sweet zesty taste along with a more dense nutty texture. 

Manchego pairs exceptionally well with almonds, and the duo are regulars in many Spanish recipes. In this recipe, we use thinly shaved pieces of Manchego that provide a fantastic texture and add layers of dense flavors alongside the tomato, giant capers, and rich pesto dressing. 

If you can’t source Manchego or it’s prohibitively expensive where you are, you can use Monterey Jack, an aged white cheddar, or parmesan instead. 

Other Mediterranean Toppings for Tomato Salad

This tomato salad recipe already has a lot of flavor layering and combines the sweetness of the tomatoes, the saltiness of the pesto dressing along with the sharpness of the Manchego cheese. There are also the sharp flavors of red onion and giant capers (called ‘alcaparrones’ in Spanish) that add some crunch to the salad. 

If you want to add more protein, here are some options. Serrano ham or Jamón Ibérico are also great meat options and a few shaved ham slices can easily top the salad adding a delicious salty flavor. Healthy chickpeas are also a great option and used widely in Spanish cooking. 

What to Serve With This Mediterranean Tomato Salad

If you want to serve this as part of a tapas spread, here are some great options that go together well:

• Potatoes Mozarabic – A delicious potato dish with the world’s tastiest creamy sauce.
• Spanish sizzling garlic shrimp – Gambas al ajillo, delicious fried shrimp.
• Easy Spanish tortilla – Egg and potato omelet, ready in 20 minutes.
• Empanadas with fish and romesco – Delicious romesco sauce-smothered fish in empanadas.
• Padron peppers – 5-minute fried padron peppers tapa.
• Crispy chicken tenders – Ready in under 30 minutes and the recipe comes with an optional tangy yogurt dipping sauce.

If you want to serve it as a side dish, here are some main meal options:

• Mediterranean veggie skewers – These delicious veggies are marinated in a yogurt and paprika combo before grilling.
• Spanish pork tenderloin with paprika – This bold-flavored dish works great with a punchy salad like this one.
• Baked Mediterranean chicken thighs – Healthy and delicious, this is a great summer combo.
• Spanish tortilla bocadillo – This is a classic Spanish sandwich featuring chunks of Spanish tortilla.

FAQs

How long does this tomato salad recipe take to make?

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: None
• Total time: 10 minutes

What are the best tomatoes to use?

• Beefsteak tomatoes
• Brandywine
• Plum Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Bull’s Egg Tomatoes 
• Black Tomatoes
• Field tomatoes

Can I add meat as a topping?

If you’re looking for a meat option, add a few slices of serrano ham or Jamón ibérico. You’ll only need around 6 slices.

Is tomato salad healthy?

Tomato salad is very healthy. Tomatoes are loaded with antioxidants and are a great source of vitamin C. Tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil have been linked to reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. 

Is tomato salad good for weight loss?

Tomato salad is a great way to satisfy your hunger while not containing too many calories (a 200 g/7 oz serving of this salad contains 187 calories). Tomato salad also provides essential nutrients and minerals to help aid a healthy balanced diet. Most of the calories come from the olive oil and cheese. If you’re counting your calories, leave the cheese out, but keep in mind that olive oil can help with weight loss. Even though it’s a fat, it’s considered a good fat and is really healthy.

How long will tomato salad keep?

Once you cut tomatoes they will degrade quickly and become soggy. Keep any leftover tomato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Does tomato salad need to be refrigerated?

Yes, store any leftover tomato salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Freezing tomato salad is not recommended. 

Can tomato salad be made ahead?

It’s best to make your tomato salad fresh. Tomatoes tend to become soggy after a few hours. You can make it 30 minutes before and store your tomato salad covered in the fridge to keep it as fresh as possible.