By salting and straining ripe heirloom tomatoes, you collect the summertime star’s slightly sweet and vegetal juices—called tomato water, it’s a prized ingredient in its own right. Here it’s whisked with a little rice vinegar for added brightness and a verdant basil oil to create a flavorful vinaigrette to dress the wedges and a torn ball of burrata. Finish the salad with a lot of basil, using a mix of colors and varieties (like standard green Italian, anise-y Thai, and moody purple).
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What you’ll need
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
$26 At Amazon
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Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
2
1
3
1
1
Preparation
Step 1
Place 2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges, in a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl (to catch tomato water); season liberally with kosher salt and toss to distribute. Let sit 20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 1 cup (packed) basil leaves in a small saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring, 30 seconds. Drain and gently press to remove excess water.
Step 3
Transfer basil to a small food processor or blender, add 3 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil, and process until smooth. Pour basil oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and press on solids to extract as much basil as possible; discard solids. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar and 2 Tbsp. tomato water to combine.
Step 4
Transfer tomatoes to a medium bowl and drizzle half of dressing over; toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or shallow bowls, top with one 8-oz. ball burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn into large pieces, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Scatter more basil over; season with freshly ground black pepper.
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Reviews (10)
Back to TopI bought a ton of heirloom tomatoes on sale without any clear idea in mind. This was one of the first "tomato" recipes to pop up on Bon Appetit, and since I had some basil and leftover mozzarella, I figured, "Why not?" This recipe is incredibly simple and difficult to get wrong. I don't have bunches of basil lying around, just a tiny plant...so I took some of the leaves, cut them, and mixed them in a mortar and pestle with olive oil, a bit of vegetable oil, rice vinegar + salt for taste. I don't think the taste was that different from the recipe's vinaigrette, and it still had a nice bright green color. I also opted to slice the tomatoes into nicely-sized rounds/steaks, plated and salted. If the tomato's water is supposed to go into the dressing, Skip the straining and mixing stage, and just keep it on the same plate.
Dari
Lyon, France
6/12/2024
I don't think I salted my tomatoes liberally enough, while they produced plenty of tasty water, they were under salted in the final salad. Not a problem cause I got to use a nice fishing salt. I think the amount of salt you use should be based on the tomatoes, if they are already moist, you need a bit less salt and can add it on the back end for taste. The oil didn't have as much basil punch as I expected, but it was a lively color and went very well with the dish. I used champagne vinegar, when I reached for my rice vinegar I noticed it was flavored. Oh well, turned out great all the same!
Sarah
Austin, CO
9/13/2022
I've made this four times in the last two weeks and it has been outstanding every time. Everyone I've made it for agrees, a true keeper!
Jess
Seattle, WA
9/10/2022
I loved this recipe for its simplicity and flavor and tiny little spin (the unique vinaigrette) that turns it into a "cheffy" dish. It reminds me of a restaurant dish that leaves you thinking, "What was the extra sneaky things they did you make it taste so good? It's just a caprese!" I got peak season heirloom tomatoes, top shelf mozzarella, and followed the recipe to "T". Perfection! Thank you Bon Appétit. (Sorry, crispy shallots. No please please no.)
Will Triggs
San Francisco
9/7/2022
This was an easy way to showcase the best of summer flavors. It definitely requires the highest quality ingredients you can find. I used EVOO for the basil dressing, which I think was a nice change. I think in the future some crispy shallots would be really nice. You could certainly modify this in any number of ways. I loved the idea of using the tomato water.
Nytasha
Oakland
8/29/2022
A great brunch option that's super easy but also feels very fancy. You probably don't need to draw out the tomato water; it left the tomatoes arguably a little too salty, and not getting more than a quarter teaspoon didn't impact the dressing at all.
Larry
Colorado Springs, CO
8/21/2022