Salting tomatoes 15 minutes before serving pulls out excess water, concentrating their flavor instead of diluting the dressing.
Tomato Onion Salad
Dive into a vibrant Tomato Onion Salad that bursts with freshness! Juicy, sun-kissed tomatoes mingle with crisp, sweet onions, all tossed in a zesty vinaigrette that elevates every bite. Perfect as a side dish or a light lunch, this salad is a celebration of summer flavors that you won’t want to miss!
Prep
20
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This so-called American salad is really a threadbare descendant of Italian panzanella, dragged across the Atlantic by 19th-century immigrants in New Jersey who ditched the stale bread but kept the tomatoes, then bunged in sweet onions and sugar because Americans, bless them, put sugar in everything—even a salad dressing that already had vinegar doing the acid's job perfectly well.
Regional Twist
Down in Vidalia, Georgia, they'd insist on actual Vidalia onions instead of generic sweet onions, arguing—correctly—that their lower sulfur content and higher sugar makes the whole dressing unnecessary, though the locals add it anyway, purely out of stubbornness.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (30 ml)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion (5 ml)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (1.25 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (2.5 ml)
- 4 large tomatoes, sliced
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (1.25 ml)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced and separate into rings
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Layer the sliced tomatoes and sweet onions in a shallow serving dish.
- 2
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, chopped onion, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper; shake well to mix. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the sliced tomatoes lightly and let them sit for 10-15 minutes on a rack before assembling, then pat dry, since salt draws out excess water via osmosis and prevents the dressing from becoming diluted.technique10-15 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to red wine vinegar for the vinaigrette so the emulsion clings to the vegetables without tasting overly acidic; shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds to temporarily suspend the oil droplets in the vinegar.ingredient3:1 ratio
- ✓Refrigerate the assembled salad for a minimum of 2 hours, but not more than 6, because the vinegar's acidity will start breaking down the tomato's cell walls beyond that window, turning the flesh mushy and washed out.timing2-6 hours
- ✓Slice the sweet onions paper-thin (about 1/8 inch) against the grain and soak them in ice water for 5 minutes before layering, which leaches out sharp sulfur compounds like allyl propyl disulfide and mellows their bite.technique1/8 inch, 5 minutes
- ✓Add a pinch of sugar (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of dressing) to counterbalance the vinegar's acidity, since sucrose molecules mask sour taste receptors without making the dressing taste sweet.ingredient1/4 teaspoon per cup
Share this recipe
Prep
20
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Salting tomatoes 15 minutes before serving pulls out excess water, concentrating their flavor instead of diluting the dressing.
Tomato Onion Salad
Dive into a vibrant Tomato Onion Salad that bursts with freshness! Juicy, sun-kissed tomatoes mingle with crisp, sweet onions, all tossed in a zesty vinaigrette that elevates every bite. Perfect as a side dish or a light lunch, this salad is a celebration of summer flavors that you won’t want to miss!
The Story
This so-called American salad is really a threadbare descendant of Italian panzanella, dragged across the Atlantic by 19th-century immigrants in New Jersey who ditched the stale bread but kept the tomatoes, then bunged in sweet onions and sugar because Americans, bless them, put sugar in everything—even a salad dressing that already had vinegar doing the acid's job perfectly well.
Regional Twist
Down in Vidalia, Georgia, they'd insist on actual Vidalia onions instead of generic sweet onions, arguing—correctly—that their lower sulfur content and higher sugar makes the whole dressing unnecessary, though the locals add it anyway, purely out of stubbornness.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (30 ml)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion (5 ml)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (1.25 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (2.5 ml)
- 4 large tomatoes, sliced
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (1.25 ml)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced and separate into rings
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Layer the sliced tomatoes and sweet onions in a shallow serving dish.
- 2
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, chopped onion, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper; shake well to mix. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Salt the sliced tomatoes lightly and let them sit for 10-15 minutes on a rack before assembling, then pat dry, since salt draws out excess water via osmosis and prevents the dressing from becoming diluted.technique10-15 minutes
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to red wine vinegar for the vinaigrette so the emulsion clings to the vegetables without tasting overly acidic; shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds to temporarily suspend the oil droplets in the vinegar.ingredient3:1 ratio
- ✓Refrigerate the assembled salad for a minimum of 2 hours, but not more than 6, because the vinegar's acidity will start breaking down the tomato's cell walls beyond that window, turning the flesh mushy and washed out.timing2-6 hours
- ✓Slice the sweet onions paper-thin (about 1/8 inch) against the grain and soak them in ice water for 5 minutes before layering, which leaches out sharp sulfur compounds like allyl propyl disulfide and mellows their bite.technique1/8 inch, 5 minutes
- ✓Add a pinch of sugar (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of dressing) to counterbalance the vinegar's acidity, since sucrose molecules mask sour taste receptors without making the dressing taste sweet.ingredient1/4 teaspoon per cup