Cool Summer Vegetable Topping

This Italian summer tomato salad is the kind of preparation that proves no-cook food can deliver maximum flavor when the ingredients are right. Peeled ripe tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber get salted and drained for two hours, which concentrates flavor and removes excess water before being tossed with herbs and olive oil.

The two-hour salt rest is the part most home cooks skip, and it’s exactly what makes this dish work. Salt draws moisture from the vegetables, intensifying their flavor and preventing the finished salad from going soupy when served. Don’t shortcut this step.

Peeling the tomatoes by blanching is old-school Italian technique. Drop them in boiling water for 60 seconds, then the skins slip off cleanly. Skipping this leaves chewy peels in the salad that detract from the silky texture of ripe tomato flesh.

Use the salad two ways: spoon it onto grilled bread for instant bruschetta, or toss it with cooled cooked pasta (small shapes like fusilli or farfalle work best) for a refreshing summer pasta salad. Either way, the flavors only improve over the next day.

Pro Tips

• Use the ripest in-season tomatoes you can find. Hothouse winter tomatoes will produce a flat, watery salad regardless of technique.
• Drain the salted vegetables thoroughly before adding herbs and oil. Even a little remaining water dilutes the flavor.
• Use a fruity, peppery extra-virgin olive oil for the finish. The dressing is so simple that the oil quality really shows.
• Add the herbs at the end, never with the salt. Basil and parsley wilt and lose their bright color when salted early.

Variations

• Add 1 cup of fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini) for a caprese-style version.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of capers or chopped olives for a more pungent Mediterranean flavor.
• Substitute fresh mint or oregano for some of the basil for an herbal twist.