The Best Summer Tomato Salad (It’s Better than Caprese!)

Well, the day has arrived. The moment you’ve been waiting for all year long. You wander over to your local farmers market and bam! There they are. The summer’s best tomatoes have landed! They’re gorgeous, they smell like heaven, and, judging by how weighty they feel in your hand, you know these babies are juicy. You buy as many as you can carry and bring them home.

Now you’re standing at your kitchen counter and wondering what to do next. You could just eat them as they are — with a generous sprinkling of sea salt, of course. Or you could take that idea a step further and make the best, juiciest summer tomato salad.

This tomato salad with red onions and fresh herbs couldn’t be any simpler to make. You’ll start by thinly slicing a red onion and soaking it in cold water — this tones down the onion’s pungency. Next, you’ll cut up your tomatoes into chunky slices and combine them with fresh herbs. Feel free to use your favorite fine herb here — basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, or a combination — since they all work equally well in this recipe.

Keeping in line with the simplicity theme, this salad is dressed plainly with salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. The key to the juiciness of this salad is letting it sit at room temperature before serving, which gives the salt a chance to draw out the tomatoes’ juices.

Add some grilled ciabatta bread and a glass of crisp white wine, and the best, easiest summer dinner is served.