This heirloom tomato salad is a beautiful celebration of summer flavors. Juicy ripe red, yellow, green and orange heirloom tomatoes topped with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil
As a home gardener and lover of all things fresh and seasonal, heirloom tomato season arrives with much anticipation and excitement!
Whenever I get lucky enough to get my hands on a few farmer's market heirloom tomatoes, this is the recipe I make 100% of the time. The tomatoes are so exquisite and tasty, they can truly shine all on their own!
Besides them being visually appealing, sweeter with intense flavors compared to our supermarket tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes have a few other characteristics that are worth mentioning.
what are heirloom tomatoes?
This is usually the first thing that most people wants to know about heirloom tomatoes. Apart from the usually 'uneven' shape with cracks and bumps and huge variety of colors, heirloom tomatoes are special for a number of reasons. Here are a few:
1. Unlike most tomatoes, the heirloom varieties have not been hybridized for aesthetics purposes such as color and shape, or shelf life. In fact heirloom tomatoes are often 'ugly' irregular with cracks and bumps.
2. The seeds are what makes an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produced the best fruit.
3. Heirloom tomatoes are also pollinated naturally, by birds, insects, wind, or human hands.
4. Heirloom tomatoes are notorious for having a short shelf life. If you've been blessed enough to get your hands on some delicious heirloom tomatoes, use it within a couple of days.
here is what you can serve with this heirloom tomato salad
Try this delicious and refreshing Tropical Fruit Salad for dessert or appetizer
A few choices for your protein:
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Shrimp
and this Kiwi Agua Fresca drink!
If you make this Heirloom Tomato Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to all your comments. Also, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram for a special shutout and/or a chance of being featured in my newsletter!
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 heirloom tomatoes, different colors
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small skillet toast pine nuts until they start to brown (about 3-4 minutes). Set aside
- Slice heirloom tomatoes to deside thickness. If they are exceptionally large, first slice the tomato in half then into slices.
- In a smal bowl whisk olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle olive oil over the tomato salad. Top with pine nuts and garnish with fresh basil and a few basil leaves. Serve*
Notes
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