Tomato Salad with Chilli and Basil

Someone asked me how to make tomatoes taste amazing. Here’s how.

You can use any type of tomatoes you like. From an aesthetic viewpoint I think it looks nice to have a few varieties and I tend to cut them differently (ie slices, wedges, halves) to highlight the distinction.

I make the dressing on the plate I am going to serve the salad on then pile the tomatoes on top of the dressing and add the basil and mix just before serving.

2 punnets of heirloom, cherry, roma or grape tomatoes, cut in halves

6 black Russian tomatoes, sliced

8 doncaster tomatoes, cut in wedges

handful of basil leaves, shredded

dressing

2 long red chillis, grated on a microplane or zester

¼ cup olive oil

½ tspn salt flakes

1 tbspn white balsamic, white wine or red wine vinegar

Slice or cut all the tomatoes and place in a colander. Sprinkle over some salt and leave to stand for 20-30 mins. Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients on a serving plate. Use a fork to mix them together and taste and adjust according to your preference. Shake the colander to remove excess juice. Pile tomatoes on top of the dressing. Add basil and just before serving toss to coat in the dressing.