Chilie Tomato Salad

A stripped-down Indian-inspired tomato salad with serious heat. Quartered fresh tomatoes tossed with chopped green chili, a half bunch of parsley, and a lemon-olive oil dressing spiked with cayenne. No cooking, no fuss, just sharp flavors and raw crunch.

The trick is chilling the tomato-chili mixture separately while the dressing rests at room temperature. Cold tomatoes hold their shape and stay firm when you toss them. The dressing rests so the lemon juice, olive oil, and cayenne have time to marry into something cohesive instead of three separate flavors sitting on top of each other.

Toss everything together right before serving. Dressed tomatoes sit in their own juice and turn watery fast, especially once salt enters the picture. Keep them apart until the last possible minute.

Pro Tips

• Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find. This salad has so few ingredients that bad tomatoes have nowhere to hide.
• Adjust the heat by using more or less of the green chili. Seeds and ribs carry most of the fire, so remove them for milder heat.
• Fresh parsley is doing a lot of work here. Don’t substitute dried. You need the fresh, grassy flavor and the bright green color.

Variations

• Swap parsley for fresh cilantro for a more traditional Indian flavor.
• Add a pinch of cumin powder or chaat masala to the dressing for a tangy, earthy twist.
• Toss in thinly sliced red onion for extra crunch and sharpness.