tomato salad and pan con tomate video

Want to know how to make the perfect tomato salad? Here’s how

I’ve made a video to share all my tips for making the most of my favourite ingredient – the tomato. A tomato salad is such a classic summer side, so let’s make sure you’re making it the best it can be.

Years of teaching cooking classes have taught me that there are loads of mistakes people make when using tomatoes – from shopping to storing, chopping to seasoning. So I cover all those areas off in a new video. You’ll also see me making a gorgeous tomato salad and my favourite pan con tomate from scratch.

5 things to remember when using tomatoes

1. Buy the right tomatoes and buy them in season – that is summer time in most places. That’s why tomatoes always taste so good when you’re on holiday. If you need tomatoes in the winter, use canned tomatoes.
2. Don’t keep tomatoes in the fridge – keep them in a bowl on the kitchen counter. Read more about why here.
3. Season with confidence – tomatoes love salt and red wine vinegar. Try a tomato salad with and without seasoning and see the difference.
4. Cut out the core – the green core of a tomato is nasty, so always cut it out
5. Use a serrated knife – tomatoes’ shiny skin is hard to cut with a straight edge knife. Use a serrated knife and you won’t squash them as you cut them.

That’s just the headlines, watch this short video and you’ll see me make tomato salad and pan con tomate and talk through all these points in more detail.

Move beyond tomato salad, get more of my tomato recipes here…

1. Tomato salsa – If you’re craving Mexican flavours, these fresh tomato salsa recipes will add brightness to your tacos
2. Roasting tomatoes – Even tasteless out of season tomatoes concentrates their flavour and makes them taste so much better. Try this roasted tomato and sausage gnocchi recipe  or this roast tomato and feta pasta sauce recipe.
3. Fresh tomato and pepper sauce – This easy fresh tomato and pepper sauce recipe is delicious with meatballs or pasta or alongside fish.
4. Frittata – In this recipe, tomatoes sit alongside sweet summer corn, salty goats cheese, basil and lemon. This is a perfect summer lunch or brunch.
5. Got a glut of tomatoes? If you grow tomatoes or have access to a plentiful supply, nailing your tomato salad recipe may not be enough and you may want to store them. Make this tomato chilli jam recipe and you’ll have an easy way to add flavour all year round. I never have time to make jars of pasta sauce with a pile of overripe tomatoes so I just freeze the tomatoes whole and throw them into soups and pasta sauces when I need them later in the year.