Let’s get something out of the way: The best way to eat a summer tomato is to just eat it, thickly sliced and lightly showered with salt.
That’s what I’m doing with those fat beefsteaks and heirlooms, so juicy that they nearly collapse into a mosaic of seeds and pulp on the cutting board. You can riff on that basic formula — ripe tomatoes plus salt — by adding cucumber, watermelon, peaches or mozzarella for salads, or layering them on toast for something like pan con tomate, or sandwiching them with bacon for a lush BLT with smoky crunch.
But if you’re going to eat tomatoes at just about every meal — very much my intention for the month of August — you should change up the repertoire a bit. I want recipes that put tomatoes to work, leveraging their distinct sweetness and acidic ping.
Here are five tomato dinners that do just that, by grating or dicing them, roasting them, lightly sautéing them or simply cutting them up and drizzling them with a sparky vinaigrette.
1. Gingery Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Gingery meatballs in tomato sauce. Use any kind of meat you like for the meatballs: pork, turkey, chicken, beef or plant-based. Food styled by Samantha Seneviratne. (Julia Gartland/The New York Times)
Most meatballs in tomato sauce rely on canned tomatoes for the kind of heady, garlicky recipe that’s typically spooned over spaghetti. But this recipe is made from briefly cooked fresh tomatoes for something lighter and brighter, seasoned with ginger, cilantro, lime juice and a dusting of cumin. It’s a perfect place to use up those overripe summer tomatoes, and it works well with just-ripe tomatoes, too. Feel free to use any kind of ground meat here: pork, beef, turkey, chicken, lamb or vegan meat. Then, serve it with crusty bread or rice to catch all of the zippy, fragrant sauce.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons finely grated or minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin, more for serving
1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 pound ground pork (or turkey, chicken, beef, lamb or vegan meat)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or use plain)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, more for serving
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced fresh ripe or overripe tomatoes
1 teaspoon fish sauce or soy sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, halved
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon ginger, the garlic, cumin, salt and coriander. Add pork, panko and cilantro. Using your hands, gently mix everything together, making sure not to overwork the mixture. (Otherwise, the meatballs get tough.) Form into 1 1/4-inch balls.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high, then add the oil and let it heat up until it thins out. Add meatballs in one layer. Cook, turning and shaking the pan, until meatballs are browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Move meatballs to one side of the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon ginger to the empty side of the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, fish sauce and a pinch of salt to the empty side of the pan. When tomatoes are simmering, cover the pan, lower the heat to medium, and let cook until the meatballs are no longer pink at the center, about 5 to 8 minutes longer.
4. Uncover the pan. Mix the scallions into the sauce. Squeeze lime juice all over everything, then stir together. Taste, and add salt and lime juice as needed. Serve the meatballs sprinkled with more cumin and topped with cilantro.
2. Salmon With Freshly Grated Tomatoes and Butter
Salmon with freshly grated tomatoes and butter. Carolina Gelen’s salmon recipe also turns summer tomatoes into a quickly cooked sauce. Food styled by Cyd Raftus McDowell. (Armando Rafael/The New York Times)
With a minimal list of ingredients and prep, this light, flavorful salmon and tomato dish is an excellent contender for the perfect summer dinner. When tomato season is in full swing, this one-pan recipe makes the most of all those ripe, tender, bursting tomatoes. For fresh tomato flavor, the tomatoes are coarsely grated, yielding a delicate, low-effort sauce that is sweet and tangy, an ideal accompaniment for buttery seared salmon. Simple aromatics like freshly grated garlic, black pepper and thyme sprigs are simmered alongside the fish to round out the flavor. A piece of crusty toast to absorb all those juices completes the meal, along with an optional glass of white wine.
By Carolina Gelen
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), halved
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4 skin-on salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 thyme sprigs, plus more for serving
2 garlic cloves, grated
Toast, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Place a box grater in a medium bowl. Place the flat, cut side of each tomato half against the coarse side of the grater and grate the tomatoes in the bowl, stopping when you reach the tomato skin. Discard (or snack on) the tomato skins. You should have 1 3/4 to 2 cups of grated tomatoes.
2. Using paper towels, pat dry the salmon fillets. Season with salt on all sides.
3. In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down and sear for 3 minutes, until the skin becomes crispy and easily releases from the pan. Flip the fillets and continue searing for 2 to 3 minutes, until a light crust forms.
4. Decrease heat to low to prevent the butter from burning. Transfer the salmon to a clean plate.
5. Carefully add the thyme sprigs, garlic and 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Be careful, the butter will splatter after adding the thyme; you may want to partly cover the skillet with a lid until the splattering stops.
6. Carefully pour the grated tomatoes in the skillet, season with salt and bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease heat to medium-low and place the fish in the tomato sauce, skin-side down. Loosely cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. The sauce will reduce slightly and go from a pinkish-red to an orange-red. Serve with toast and fresh thyme.
3. Roasted Shrimp With Okra and Tomatoes
Roasted shrimp with okra and tomatoes. In Kia Damon’s recipe, the okra softens, the tomatoes sweeten and the quickly roasted shrimp bring the dish into a state of summer bliss. Food styled by Greg Lofts. (Bryan Gardner/The New York Times)
In the South, okra and tomatoes are the crown jewels of the summer. Frying is the most common preparation for okra, but roasting also brings the best out of these two favorites; tomatoes become sweeter and okra softens, developing a deeper savoriness brought forward by a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Shrimp brings the dish to a new level: The smoked paprika and oregano are a perfect foil to the shrimp’s own natural, delicate flavor, and, swirled together with the olive oil and tomato juice in the pan, the result is a meal with the makings of a stew with a fraction of the time and effort. It truly tastes like a warm, summer, Sunday evening. When choosing okra, go for the smaller to medium sized pods. The bigger the okra, the more likely it is to be stringy and tough. Serve with cooked rice or atop angel hair pasta.
By Kia Damon
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound (21 to 30 count) peeled and deveined shrimp (tails on)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound small to medium okra, trimmed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Lemon wedges, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, oregano, smoked paprika, a few pinches of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
2. Add the okra and tomatoes to the pan, season with salt and several cracks of black pepper, then drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over top. Mix well, spread evenly then place on the top rack of the oven. Roast until the okra is softened and the tomatoes are soft and have released their juices, about 15 minutes.
3. Take the pan out of the oven, put the tomatoes and okra in a large bowl, then spread the shrimp evenly on the same pan and toss to coat in the pan juices. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the shrimp are cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the shrimp from the oven, then toss with the okra and tomatoes, along with any pan juices. Taste for salt. Serve on a large platter and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
4. Fresh Tomato, Basil and Prosciutto Pasta
This summertime pasta of lightly sizzled garlic and tomatoes with torn basil is satisfyingly easy and delicious. It’s also a reminder that with really great ingredients, not a lot of cooking is necessary to create a stand-out meal. Melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto and dollops of ricotta add a little richness to contrast with all the freshness, leaving you with a colorful main that doesn’t really need much else, but a sprinkle of crushed red-pepper flakes or a few thin rings of jalapeño or sweet red pepper could be welcome additions.
By Christian Reynoso
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces spaghetti
Salt and pepper
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (any variety)
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, preferably at room temperature
1/2 cup fresh ricotta, preferably at room temperature
DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
2. While the pasta is cooking, thinly slice the garlic and cut the tomatoes into large bite-size pieces (3/4- to 1-inch chunks, wedges or slices, or just halves of cherry tomatoes, if using).
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium. After 2 minutes, add the garlic and let sizzle for about 1 minute without browning, then add the tomatoes and use tongs to toss in the garlic oil. Season with salt and cook, tossing gently, until tomatoes are warmed through and have started to release their juices but are still intact, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.
4. Add the pasta to the warm tomatoes, then tear the basil into pieces and toss together with the pasta, tomatoes and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
5. To serve, transfer warm pasta onto plates, tear the prosciutto into pieces and drape them over top. Dollop on the ricotta, season with salt and pepper and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Dumpling Tomato Salad With Chile Crisp Vinaigrette
Dumpling tomato salad with chile crisp vinaigrette. This dish from Hetty Lui McKinnon gets its electricity from chile crisp and rice vinegar and its juiciness from salted fresh tomatoes. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Christopher Testani/The New York Times)
Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad. The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings. Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings. (Salting also works wonders for out-of-season tomatoes, meaning you could eat this salad all year round.) Use your favorite chile crisp as it is the dominant flavor in the dressing and will greatly impact the final dish; all brands of crisp will have different levels of saltiness and spice, so season accordingly.
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (any variety), cut into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces (at room temperature)
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal brand) and black pepper
1 pound frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed)
Neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
1 to 2 tablespoons store-bought crispy fried shallots (optional)
For the chile crisp vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons chile crisp (or chile oil)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the tomatoes on a large serving plate or in a bowl. Add the garlic, half the basil leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.
2. To make the vinaigrette, combine the chile crisp, rice vinegar and soy sauce and whisk to combine. Taste and if it needs more saltiness, add ½ teaspoon more soy sauce.
3. Heat a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and, working in batches, add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then cover and cook until the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to packet instructions). Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and continue cooking the remaining dumplings. (If you prefer to steam the dumplings, see Tip.)
4. To serve, place the warm dumplings over the tomato salad and drizzle with the chile crisp vinaigrette. Toss very gently. Top with the crispy fried shallots (if using) and the remaining basil leaves. Serve either while the dumplings are still warm or at room temperature.
Tips: To steam, arrange the dumplings in a steaming basket lined with baking paper or cabbage leaves, place over a pan of boiling water and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
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