Feast

Plated Tinned Fish Tomato Salad In Yellow Plate On Blue Background Surrounded By Garlic Tomatoes Cutting Board Basil

RECIPE

Tomato and Tinned Fish Salad with Crispy Fried Garlic

Created by head chef Gracie from our community cooking school 18 Reasons, this vibrant, briny summer dish brings together peak-season tomatoes, bright flavors, and a crispy garlic finish you’ll be dreaming about long after the last bite.
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 20 Minutes

This recipe is a gathering of simple, high-quality ingredients that become so much more than the sum of their parts through careful seasoning and attention to texture. Choosing the perfect, ripe yet firm tomato during peak tomato season is the most important step in this recipe. How do you know if the tomato is perfect? It should be firm to the touch but yield slightly to a squeeze (please don’t go aggressively squeezing all the tomatoes on the shelves, approach each one with tenderness!). The skin of the tomato should be shiny and alluring, the color deeply red or golden and ideally, a delicate earthy and sweet fragrance should be present. Lucky for you: If you’re buying a tomato at Bi-Rite between July and early October, your chances of casually purchasing a perfect tomato are fabulous! The rest of the ingredients can be kept in your pantry and are also very adaptable. High-quality tinned fish is a must, and then all you really have to do is not burn the garlic.

Don’t forget the crusty bread for soaking up every last drop of dressing!

Ingredients

Tomato and Tinned Fish Salad:

  • 1 large, ripe heirloom tomato
  • 1 pint Sungold cherry tomatoes
  • 4-6 leaves of fresh basil
  • 1 tin of fish: Use one or mix several types. Smoked trout, tuna, salmon, sardines, even anchovies work!
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled (without crushing), thinly and evenly sliced
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • A sprinkle of salt

Dressing:

  • 1 small shallot sliced into quarter inch half moons
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Meyer lemon (for juice and zest)
  • Any liquid from your tinned fish
  • 2 tablespoons garlic oil (remainder of fried garlic you’ll prepare)
  • 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste (“Crushed Hot Chili Peppers”)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

First, fry the garlic. Line a plate with paper towels. In a small pot, combine your olive oil and thinly sliced garlic and turn the heat to medium high. Stay very close to the pot and stir until the oil begins to bubble gently and the garlic turns golden. As soon as the garlic begins to turn colors, remove it from the oil with a small mesh strainer or spider. This oil is gold—keep it for the dressing and use the rest of it for literally anything. Transfer garlic to your paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a touch of salt while hot and set aside. You did it! (We promise that was the hardest step, phew!)

For the dressing, combine the sliced shallot with lemon zest, juice, mustard, and Calabrian chili in a small bowl. Mix to combine and set aside for at least 5 minutes while you slice your tomatoes.

Slice your tomatoes carefully with a sharp knife. The heirlooms should be cut into roughly ⅔” thick circles and the cherry tomatoes can be simply cut in half. Lay them out on a large platter so they all fit together and sprinkle them with sea salt flakes.

Add the liquid (oil or sauce) from your tinned fish into your salad dressing bowl along with 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil from frying the garlic.

Place your tinned fish on top of your tomatoes jauntily

Taste your dressing. How is it? Do you immediately want to grab a loaf of bread and dunk it in there and eat it all up? You did it right!

Spoon your delicious dressing all over your tomatoes and tinned fish. Finish the salad with all the crispy crunchy garlic and freshly torn basil leaves.

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