Spanish-Style Tomato Salad with Garlic and Parsley

When tomatoes are at their best, they need very little help. This salad, inspired by the simple tomato plates served all over Spain in summer, is just sliced ripe tomatoes with garlic, parsley, good olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt.

Let it sit for ten minutes before eating. The salt draws out the tomato juices, which mix with the oil and vinegar into a dressing you will want to mop up with bread.

It all depends on the tomatoes

This is not a recipe for pale winter tomatoes. Look for fruit that smells like tomato at the stem end, feels heavy, and gives slightly when pressed. Heirloom varieties, beefsteaks and ripe vine tomatoes all work; a mix of colors makes the platter look generous.

If good large tomatoes are not available, halved cherry tomatoes are usually the most flavorful option out of season.

Spanish-Style Tomato Salad with Garlic and Parsley

When tomatoes are at their best, they need very little help. This salad, inspired by the simple tomato plates served all over Spain in summer, is just sliced ripe tomatoes with garlic, parsley, good olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 large ripe tomatoes about 2 lb (900 g), mixed colors if possible
• 1 small garlic clove very finely minced
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika optional
• black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Core the tomatoes and slice them into rounds about 1/3 inch (1 cm) thick. Arrange them overlapping on a platter.
2. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the slices.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, parsley, olive oil and vinegar.
4. Spoon the dressing over the tomatoes and finish with pepper and a light dusting of smoked paprika if using.
5. Leave the salad at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving so the juices run.

Notes

• Never refrigerate tomatoes you plan to eat raw; cold dulls their flavor and makes the flesh mealy.
• A serrated knife slices ripe tomatoes cleanly without crushing them.

Ways to serve it

• With crusty bread rubbed with a cut garlic clove.
• Alongside grilled fish, chicken or a Spanish-style omelet.
• Topped with good canned tuna and sliced red onion for a light lunch.
• With a few slices of hard cheese and olives as a simple tapas spread.

A little background

Simple tomato salads appear on menus across Spain in summer, often just sliced tomatoes with olive oil and salt, sometimes with garlic, onion, oregano or tuna. Spanish olive oil and sherry vinegar from Jerez give this version its character, but any good extra-virgin olive oil and wine vinegar will make a delicious salad.

Because there are so few ingredients, each one matters. Use your best olive oil here, a flaky salt if you have it, and parsley with bright green, perky leaves.

Any leftover juices on the platter are worth saving. Mop them up with bread, or whisk them into a vinaigrette for the next day’s green salad.

Storing and reheating

This salad is best within an hour or two of making. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a day and chopped into a quick pasta sauce or spooned over toast; let them come to room temperature first.

FAQ

Can I make it ahead?

Slice the tomatoes up to an hour ahead and leave them covered at room temperature. Salt and dress them 10 minutes before serving.

Is raw garlic too strong?

Mince it as finely as possible and use a small clove. You can also let it sit in the vinegar for 5 minutes to mellow it.

What is sherry vinegar?

A Spanish wine vinegar with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. Red wine vinegar is the closest substitute.

Ingredient swaps

• Use basil instead of parsley.
• Swap the garlic for very thinly sliced shallot.
• Use lemon juice if you do not have sherry vinegar.

This recipe is for general cooking information only and is not medical or nutrition advice. See our Disclaimer and Image Credits.