just three magic ingredients
One of the all-time greatest dishes of late summer is a fresh caprese salad. It might sound like a fancy dish that costs $18 at an upscale Italian restaurant, but in reality, it extremely simple and requires such minimal time and effort it would be a travesty not to at least try it. Caprese is simply made up of thick slices of fresh tomato and equally thick slices of fresh mozzarella. It’s then embellished with fresh basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt, and pepper. See? It’s one of the most basic dishes in the book, with a taste and flavors that are unparalleled. It’s one of my favorite summertime salads, and it only really works while ingredients are at their freshest, so scoop up the best and brightest heirloom tomatoes before summer slips away from us!
⟶ the recipe
heirloom caprese salad
ingredients
2-3 large heirloom tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
Handful of fresh basil leaves, thick stems removed
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Drizzle of thick balsamic glaze
A few grinds of black peppercorns
½ teaspoon flaky salt
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
15 minutes
4 servings
instructions
Slice the tomatoes, cutting out any stems or tough portions. Slice the mozzarella ball at a similar width to the tomatoes. Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on a platter.
Lightly rinse the basil leaves, and pat dry with a paper towel. Nestle the basil leaves among the tomato and mozzarella slices.
Drizzle the olive oil over top, making sure to get some on each slice of tomato and mozzarella. Do the same with the balsamic glaze.
Finish the dish by grinding some fresh black pepper over top and sprinkle with salt to serve.
⟶ recipe notes
- Make sure to use tomatoes that are ripe, but not overly ripe. If you have tomatoes that are super soft and squishy, they’d be better used in a sauce rather than this recipe. You want your tomato slices for this dish to be nice and firm!
- For the basil, even if you don’t grow your own, I recommend just getting a fresh basil plant at the store (they usually cost less than in the pre-cut packages!). That way you can cut the basil yourself with extra-sharp shears, and even without repotting the plant will stay alive for weeks if you water it regularly. Don’t cut or tear the basil leaves if you want them to stay pretty and green for the presentation!
- For the olive oil and balsamic, I buy the squeeze bottles that I use to get a nice drizzle. You can also get your own squeeze bottles and fill them with nice, thick olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar (to achieve the “glazed” look)
