Marinated tomatoes are like a caprese minus the cheese.
Simple but Tasty
I had just finished the first bite of my chicken enchilada at Canyon Cafe, when I noticed a few chopped tomatoes on top.
So for the second bite, I incorporated a chunk. Wow! Was I ever surprised. It was sweet and tangy all at the same time.
First, I thought I had run onto a new variety of tomato. I asked my server. She said it was a simple plum tomato, that had been marinated. She didn’t say in what.
These cherry tomatoes from Robin’s backyard garden are perfect for marinating.
The Olympic Gold
Tomatoes waiting to be marinated.
“Hey, Siri, Do You Know How to Marinate Tomatoes?”
Now I’ve often marinated tomatoes, but the Canyon ones seemed to have more pizzazz. I pulled out my phone and googled “marinated tomatoes.”
I found a number of recipes that mingled the fruit (yes, tomatoes are botanically a fruit) for several hours with green onions, olive oil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Some of the recipe readers making comments mentioned adding a bit of honey as well. I tried that and it was magnifico!
A Long Bath in a Perky Sauce
Let your tomatoes swim in the marinade 12-24 hours for a more intense flavor. This saucy treatment will enhance a sub-par tomato or give extra punch to salads, tacos, vegetables, and grilled chicken or shrimp. Marinated slices certainly perked up a BLT, that I had for lunch recently.
Serve the tomatoes on crusty French bread that sops up the yummy sauce.
Or just eat it with a spoon. Heirlooms varieties thrive well in a marinade and chopped Romas hold their shape nicely.
Marinated Tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered or Romas.
- 2 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced (or green onions)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 Tbs. white or red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- a bit of honey (optional)
- 1 Tbs. freshly minced herbs (fresh parsley, basil), optional
- sea salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp., or so). Taste to test.
- black pepper
Directions:
Toss tomatoes, grated garlic, onions, olive oil, vinegar, honey (if using), herbs, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Give the mélange 2-3 hours of rest in the fridge. You can let the tomatoes soak in all that goodness for up to 24 hours, especially if your tomatoes are sturdy to begin with, and/or if you’ll be mixing them into other dishes like a salad.
Bring tomatoes back to room temperature for ideal serving conditions!
