All the ripe summer tomatoes we could get our hands on.
Summer is the time for fresh tomatoes, and we’re taking advantage of them all season long. Whether you’re showcasing them in salads or tossing them on the grill, make sure you’re making the most of their lush, juicy texture and sweet flavor. And don’t be intimidated by peeling tomatoes, which may seem tricky. We’ve got a speedy blanching technique to slip the skin right off.
A classic Caprese salad is a study in respecting quality ingredients: firm, in-season tomatoes, fresh mozzarella or burrata, pristine basil, and top-shelf olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can also throw them into a simple salad with blanched greens and romano beans or in panzanella, a traditional salad of tomatoes and toasted bread cubes. In Eritrea, a variation on panzanella can be made with a rich tomato stew.
Looking for something a little heartier? Turn those tomatoes into sauce for pasta, or use them as a dip. From burrata-tomato sandwiches to gazpacho, here are our favorite ways to use summer tomatoes.
This tomato salad with shallot vinaigrette from Alice Waters is our platonic ideal of the dish. Get the recipe for Heirloom and Cherry Tomato SaladAnna Kovel
For Estela chef Ignacio Mattos, the best tomato sandwich is open-faced and pairs ripe summer tomatoes with rich, creamy Fromager d’Affinois cheese instead of the usual mayo. Get the recipe for Estela’s Tomato Sandwich »Marcus Nilsson
Dried fava bean purée is served all over Puglia, typically with cooked bitter greens and fried or toasted bread. Giorgia Goggi adds lemon juice and miso, and uses it as a base for crostini. Leftovers are an excellent dip for raw vegetables. Get the recipe for Roasted Tomato and Grape Toasts with Fava Bean Puree »Eva Kolenko
In this preservation method borrowed from the French, tomatoes are slow-cooked with olive oil, garlic, and herbs into a luxuriously rich condiment. Get the recipe for Tomato Confit »Anna Kovel
“Spices have always fascinated me. I collect them from all over the world,” says Giorgia Goggi, who accents this soup with Middle Eastern sumac and Indian garam masala. If you can’t find fresh yellow tomatoes, red will work just as well. Get the recipe for Yellow Tomato Soup with Lamb Meatballs, Yogurt, and Mint »Eva Kolenko
Cherry tomatoes are tossed with canned sardines here, along with fresh oregano, olives, capers, and a red wine vinaigrette. The whole thing is layered with thin slices of heirloom tomato between slabs of focaccia. Get the recipe for Canned Sardine, Tomato, and Caper Sandwiches »Kyle Johnson
Juicy cherry or grape tomatoes are coated in a light caramel to make the “topping” for this tart, but the whole thing is baked upside down in a skillet. Do most of the steps to prepare it in advance—make the zucchini paste and defrost the puff pastry a few hours or up to two days ahead—but be sure to serve the tart just after baking, turning it out from the pan in front of guests. It tastes best while the caramel is still runny and the warm, topmost layer of dough has a custardy consistency. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin »Michelle Heimerman
Three types of tomatoes result in a bouquet of flavors and textures, from sweet to burst-in-your-mouth cherries fragrant with Italian herbs. Get the recipe for Oven-Stewed Tomatoes »Farideh Sadeghin
This refreshing summer soup, adapted from La Guarida restaurant in Havana, is meant to be served lightly chilled. Olive oil, garlic, pink peppercorn, and smoky grilled shrimp round out the sweetness from the strawberries, watermelon, and tomatoes. Get the recipe for Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tomato Gazpacho »Matt Taylor-Gross
Italian panzerotti are semi-circular pockets of bread that are usually filled with cheese, deep-fried, and eaten hot. SAVEUR intern Suhashini Sarkar first tried these in Milan; her sister has since developed her own recipe that uses a sauce made from fresh tomatoes. It’s reminiscent of pizza, but deep-fried and portable. Get the recipe for Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Panzerotti »SAVEUR
Florence Jackson, the author’s grandmother and a Nova Scotia native, made use of shoulder-season produce to prepare this tangy relish. It is often served with meat and fish dishes, where it adds a bright note of sweetness. While chow-chow can be used immediately, its flavor improves with time. Consider making a large batch and putting it up in properly sterilized canning jars to last through the winter months. Get the recipe for Green Tomato Chow Chow »Hannah Whitaker
In this twist on the classic comforting soup, tomatoes are smoked on the stove top before being reduced with red wine and puréed. Get the recipe for Smoked Tomato Soup »James Roper
Sweet, ripe, summer tomatoes dressed in olive oil, vinegar, and basil are tossed with garlicky, toasted bread cubes to soak up the delicious juices in this classic Italian salad. Get the recipe for Summer Panzanella »Helen Rosner
Cherries and cherry tomatoes bake down together into a savory-sweet layer under a sweet biscuit topping in this recipe from chef Amanda Cohen. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato and Cherry Cobbler »Matt Taylor-Gross
This classic Provençal version is made with alternating rows of sliced zucchini, eggplant, and tomato. The flavors meld as the vegetables cook together, somewhat like ratatouille. Seasoned simply with thyme, garlic, and good fruity olive oil, the dish is best served at room temperature. Get the recipe for Provencal Vegetable Tian »Justin Walker
Chef Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner, a restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, serves a version of this refreshing dish during the late summer. Smith says he developed the salad after paying a visit to a few of his former cooks in Mexico, where he discovered a range of dishes that melded sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. Get the recipe for Watermelon Tomato Salad »Matt Taylor-Gross
Hearty “bouillabasque”—Darroze’s tongue-in-cheek name for a Basque-style bouillabaisse, in which the fish is cooked separately and then added to a rich, reduced seafood-and-tomato stock—perfectly marries the culinary cornerstones of southwest France: duck fat, seafood, and armagnac. You can grill the fish on grates or a plancha, in the Spanish style, but a stovetop solution works just as well. Serve with aïoli, rouille, or any garlicky mayonnaise, along with some crusty bread. Get the recipe for Basque Seafood Stew »Michelle Heimerman
Tomatoes and cucumbers are a classic combination. Here, Eli Sussman of the Sussman Brothers modernizes the summer staple with heirloom varieties of the titular ingredients and brings them together with a caramelized fennel–lemon dressing. Get the recipe for Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Fennel Dressing »Matt Taylor-Gross
For a slightly—just slightly—more elaborate dish that showcases the sweet juices of summer tomatoes, chef Chris Fischer dresses them with olive oil and vinegar, creating a vinaigrette seemingly out of nothing. Get the recipe for Marinated Tomatoes with Mint »Elizabeth Cecil
Distantly related to Mexican salsa, pebre is an emulsified blend of tomatoes, peppers, and vinegar traditionally served with bread rolls in Santiago. This recipe, from chef Rodolfo Guzmán of Boragó in Santiago, Chile, uses native green ajè cristal chiles, but you can substitute banana peppers to mimic their very mild, floral heat. Get the recipe for Chilean Tomato and Pepper Sauce (Pebre) »Justin Walker
In the Horn of Africa, they serve a version of panzanella tossed not with fresh tomatoes, but with a rich, spicy tomato stew. Crusty bread soaks up the juices and cooling yogurt provides contrast and sweet relief. Get the recipe for Eritrean Spicy Tomato Bread Salad with Yogurt (Fata) »Matt Taylor-Gross
Though there are many versions of gazpacho, the traditional, tomato-based Andalusian variety is the one you want on a hot afternoon or warm evening. Get the recipe for Gazpacho Andaluz »Farideh Sadeghin
Roasting garlic scapes with tomatoes and red onion sweetens them and enriches their flavor; toss them with pasta, lemon juice, and arugula for a simple meal. Get the recipe for Garlic Scape and Cherry Tomato Pasta »Farideh Sadeghin
A dish as simple as caprese salad demands the best ingredients: Use firm, in-season tomatoes, the freshest burrata, and dress with pristine olive oil and top-quality balsamic vinegar. Get the recipe for Caprese Salad »Landon Nordeman
Ripe tomatoes develop umami-rich flavor when grilled with a soy sauce marinade. Mitsuba, a Japanese relative of parsley, lends a mild cilantro-like freshness. Get the recipe for Tadashi’s Grilled Tomatoes »Todd Coleman
Our idea of the perfect summer sandwich? Two thin slices of good toast, mayo, and a couple juicy slices of tomato. Get the recipe for Tomato Sandwich »Farideh Sadeghin
SalmorejoSalmorejo, gazpacho’s richer, deeper cousin, is a cool, creamy soup typically topped with chopped hard-boiled eggs and salty prosciutto or Iberian ham; omit the pork to make it vegetarian. Get the recipe for Salmorejo »Todd Coleman
Juicy red grapes are the star of a sweet and lightly spicy fresh salsa made with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and honey. Get the recipe for Grape Salsa »Laura Sant
