Hi. Barb here. Happy Labor Day. To celebrate the traditional end of the summer, I’m offering another recipe from Boiled Over, my second Maine Clambake Mystery. It will be especially useful for those of you who are now or will soon be overrun with garden tomatoes. My husband’s been making this recipe for years and years and it’s a huge favorite in our house. His mother also makes it, so it goes back a ways, though the two of them occasionally argue about the ingredients.
In Boiled Over, I give the recipe to Richelle Rose, one of the “guest stars” in the book. She’s a professional tour guide.
Richelle’s Tomato Salad
Richelle Rose lives on the road giving tours throughout Maine. When she’s home, she craves simple, local food, and in the summer, that means tomato salad. The basic recipe is wonderful. Add in one or more of the options only if you happen to have the ingredient at hand or desire the taste. Because the flavor of this recipe depends so much on the taste and texture of the tomatoes, it should be made only when you have access to really good ones.
Ingredients
4 large tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic
kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Options
red onion, chopped or sliced
cucumber, seeded and diced
oregano, fresh
basil, fresh
8-12 ounces bocconcini (mozzarella bites) or other fresh mozzarella
Core tomatoes and slice into bite-sized chunks. Layer tomatoes in serving bowl, salting each layer with kosher salt. Mince garlic and toss with tomatoes. Add any other optional ingredients. Cover bowl and marinate at room temperature for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. May be served chilled or at room temperature. Also makes a wonderful fresh sauce for pasta. Serves 4.
Enjoy and happy Labor Day!
Kait Carson
Charlene D’Avanzo 
Thanks for this recipe. I loved your 2 books in this series but this recipe is so delicious and I have made it several times since the tomato crop finally came in.
Mary Anne–so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
I’ll have to try it this week! Sounds great!
You guys will love it!
Yum! I add a splash of white balsamic vinegar to mine. Our best tomatoes came from our garden in Wallagrass.
We’ve tried that, too, Kait. As you can tell from the recipe, there are dozens of variations.
Sounds good to me. 🙂
🙂
Delicious! Always love new ways to enjoy fresh tomatoes! I also liked the variations with fresh basil and the balsamic vinegar. I would also love to have the recipe for the blueberry lemon bars mentioned in the book.
Oh, Lynne. Good idea. Maybe in a blog post or the next summer book.
Just assembled it! Plus a bit of olive oil and fresh basil. It’s steeping now. Yum.
It’s the olive oil Bill and his mother argue about. She’s pro, he’s con.