Mediterranean Tomato Salad

This easy, healthy tomato salad is studded with fresh Mediterranean flavors to eat a simple side salad or a topping for chicken, fish, steak or pork. It goes with everything—it’s like the salad version of The Bachelorette.

Through every stage of my calling as a home cook, my love of tomatoes is one thing that’s never wavered. The other could very possibly be my love of anything and everything with a pucker.

Yep. Pickles, capers, olives, and kisses included.

While this Mediterranean-flavored tomato salad is optimal at the height of summer’s tomato season, it’s lightly brined, bright with lemon goodness makes grocery store tomatoes totally acceptable any time of year.

Summer’s simple salads are calling our names. So what are you waiting for?

Easy Tomato Salad

This easy Mediterranean-inspired tomato salad came together as many of my salads do, off the cuff with inspiration from mastering a few ethnic flavors that work together. Even better, it’s easily adaptable to ingredients on hand.

Ingredients in this tomato salad:

• Tomatoes. I use medium size campari or cocktail tomatoes from the grocery store. They’re sweeter and smaller than the large cutting tomatoes used on sandwiches. Sweet cherry tomatoes would be perfection as well. And of course, summer’s freshest tomato harvest is the optimal choice.
• Red onion. Slice your onion into thin quarter moons so it doesn’t overpower each bite. This handheld mandoline is perfect for the job.
• Capers. Adding a bite of pickle power is classic Mediterranean. Capers are pickled flower buds that add a mild and savory pucker in every bite.
• Fresh parsley. I use flat leaf parsley in this recipe, and lots of it. The parsley adds the freshness that makes this salad a total flirt. Curly parsley would be tasty too, just chop it more fine.
• Garlic. I am a BIG fan of pressing garlic rather than mincing it to avoid those pungent bites of garlic bits. Pressing the garlic melds into the salad better. This is my all-time favorite garlic press, and it’s cheap too.
• The best olive oil, and lemon. If there’s one thing to splurge on IMHO, it’s olive oil. A good quality, fruity olive oil will totally make a simple salad like this one—and a cheap one will totally ruin it—so don’t chintz out. A squeeze of fresh lemon gives this salad the acid to balance it all out.
• Other ingredients to add: Olives, chickpeas, avocado, herbs like mint, basil, or marjoram; cucumber, artichoke hearts, thinly sliced zucchini, grilled or pickled asparagus.

How to Serve This Tomato Salad

This salad is like a chameleon, making everything it tops even more beautiful without taking over. Following are a few ideas for enjoying it:

• Eat it on its own as a tangy side salad, or make it a meal and use it as a topping for a smattering of arugula or other greens. Add sliced chicken or canned tuna for more protein.
• Make this salad cheesy with chunks of feta cheese, sliced mozzarella cheese balls, or serve it over grilled haloumi for more savvy Mediterranean-ness.
• Use it as a relish for grilled or baked fish, my favorite Greek marinade chicken, grilled pork chops, and for sure alongside steak with chimichurri sauce.
• Top slices of toasted baguettes with olive oil and sea salt then add spoonfuls of the salad for an easy appetizer or snack.
• Turn this into the easiest pasta salad. Toss the tomato salad with cooked noodles and more olive oil and lemon juice for a crowd. Add kalamata or green olives for the forever win.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats. 

More Tomato Salad Recipes to Make Too

• Grilled Corn Salad With Tomato And Avocado
• Burrata And Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad With Garlic Marinated Tomatoes
• Tomato And Hearts Of Palm Salad
• Tomato Avocado Cucumber And Maui Onion Salad

Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.

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