Caprese Salad
This is my favorite Caprese salad, where the ingredients speak for themselves with little embellishment necessary. It all starts with fresh ingredients: ripe, flavorful summer tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, and your best olive oil. The rest is simple.
Servings: 6 people, as a side
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce ) balls whole milk mozzarella in brine
- 2 pounds ripe salad or heirloom tomatoes (such as Beefsteak, Big Boy, or Purple Cherokee)
- Fine sea salt
- 1 handful basil leaves (smaller, more tender stems preferred)
- 3 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Drain the mozzarella: Remove the balls of mozzarella from the brine and let it drain on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels for 15 minutes. Lightly pat the mozzarella and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- Slice the tomatoes: Using a serrated knife, slice the stem end off the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into slices about 3/8-inch thick, slightly thicker than the mozzarella. You’ll need 12 slices, not including the ends (discard the ends or eat them as a snack!). Lay the slices out on the cutting board and sprinkle with fine sea salt.
- Layer the salad: Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on a serving plate so that they are overlapping slightly. Tuck in the basil leaves between the slices, and sprinkle or arrange a few more on top.
- Season: Drizzle the olive oil over the salad and grind a little black pepper on top. Let the salad rest briefly—no more than 5 to 10 minutes. Right before serving, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Try to buy tomatoes that are about the same size as the mozzarella balls. This will make the salad more visually appealing.
- If you have time, allow the mozzarella to sit at room temperature for one hour before serving. The delicate mozzarella’s flavor shines brighter at room temperature.
- Caprese salad is not a make-ahead salad. If you assemble it ahead of time and refrigerate it, you’ll compromise the texture of the cheese and tomatoes, and you’ll end up with a giant puddle of tomato juice and mozzarella milk at the bottom of your serving plate.
- After assembling, let it rest just a few minutes before serving.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams and spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 90.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.9g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 7.4g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 9.8mg | Potassium: 362.6mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1332.1IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 19.2mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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