31 Delicious Summer Tomato Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated August 17, 2020
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Con Poulos
Juicy tomatoes are at their peak in late summer, and whether you’ve grown your own or picked some up at the market, these recipes can help you make the most of them. Think no-cook sauces, tarts and pies, and plenty of fresh salads, too. Read on for those recipes, and more tomato dishes we’ll be making this season.
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Beefsteak Tomato and Burrata Salad with Olive Streusel


Credit: ABBY HOCKING
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The crunchy, savory kalamata olive streusel that tops this salad from Bryan and Michael Voltaggio is our new condiment obsession. Toss it in your next kale salad, sprinkle over roasted root vegetables or use it to garnish steamed grains. If you can't find good beefsteak tomatoes for this dish, use the best greenhouse tomatoes you can get your hands on.

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Roasted Tomato Croques with Pickled Peppers

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In this summery spin on a croque-monsieur, roasted heirloom tomatoes are piled on bread that’s slathered with creamy béchamel sauce. After a generous sprinkle of Gruyère, the croques are toasted till melty and browned, and then topped with spicy homemade pickled peppers.

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Grilled Salmon with Melted Tomatoes

Credit: JOHN KERNICK
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Jalapeños not only garnish this sweet-smoky grilled salmon but also infuse the oil used to sauté the tomatoes.

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Spinach-and-Ricotta-Stuffed Tomatoes with Piquillo Peppers

Credit: MARTIN MORRELL
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Chef Guillaume Delaune uses a melon baller to scoop out the insides of the tomatoes, leaving a sturdy shell to hold the spinach-and-cheese filling. The accompanying sauce is made from the scooped-out tomato seeds and juices.

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Tomatoes with Herbs and Almond Vinaigrette

Credit: JOHN KERNICK
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New York City chef Dan Kluger makes a deeply flavorful vinaigrette for summer's sweetest and juiciest tomatoes. Instead of dry-roasting almonds for his salad, Kluger toasts them in olive oil until they're crisp and golden, then uses the richly flavored oil to make a tangy dressing.

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Green Tomatoes with Pistachio Relish

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Relishes typically contain cooked and pickled vegetables; the one here is mouth-tinglingly tangy. James Syhabout makes it by pickling shallots, capers, pistachios and pink peppercorns overnight in Champagne vinegar and olive oil. It’s awesome on tomatoes, but he also likes using it on fish.

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Grilled Tomato Crostini

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Make sure to use a bright and fruity olive oil.

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Tomato Lemonade

Credit: Photo © Fredrika Stjärne
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Kat Kinsman is known for clever drinks like this lemonade. It's perfect on its own as a mocktail, but Kinsman recommends adding a shot or two of rye whisky to make the tomatoey drink "reminiscent of a wonderfully tipsy deli sandwich." Gin or vodka would be a great addition as well.

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Fried Green Tomato BLTs

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This is a brilliant marriage of two classics: cornmeal-dusted green tomatoes and a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.

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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

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“Although we call it an anchovy vinaigrette,” says chef Amelia O’Reilly, “we like to keep the vinegar and anchovies separate until they’re on the plate; otherwise the anchovies taste pickled.” The dressing is a great way to add savory accents to summer’s sweetest, juiciest tomatoes.

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Chilled Tomato Soup with Goat-Milk Yogurt

Credit: © Fredrika Stjärne
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Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge make yogurt from the goat milk produced on the Beekman farm. They blend the tangy yogurt into this herb-flecked soup.

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Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

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After the bruschetta is assembled, a drizzle of robust buckwheat honey balances the creamy ricotta cheese.

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Fusilli with Summer Tomato Sauce

Credit: William Meppem
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For this light, uncooked sauce, you must have perfectly ripe tomatoes.

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Cod with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Arborio Rice

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A garlic-tomato sauce for cod gets Sicilian flavor from orange zest and saffron.

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Yellow Squash all'Amatriciana with Pancetta and Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Thinly sliced yellow squash is a wonderful gluten-free alternative to semolina noodles.

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Heirloom Tomato and Plum Salad

Credit: Pete Lee
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Juicy, ripe plums and heirloom tomatoes are a natural pair in this salad from chef Norberto Piattoni. Shaved persimmon and sesame seeds add texture, while shiso and purslane, greens with a distinct savory character, balance the fruit.

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Roasted Curry Tomato Pie

Credit: Greg DuPree
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Turmeric gives the rustic crust of this tomato pie a glorious golden glow, but the real star (other than the ripe summer tomatoes) are the sweet and tangy tamarind onions, which complement the spiced, cheesy filling beautifully.

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Quick-Cured Salmon Steaks with Grilled Tomatoes and Tzatziki

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford
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Salmon steaks are essentially two fillets attached by the spine of the fish. Less expensive and easier to grill than a fillet, these steaks are quickly cured in a brown sugar-based dry cure that’s also wonderful on fillets.

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Summer Tomato Salad with Jicama and Avocado

Credit: Aubrie Pick
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Traci des Jardins’ take on a classic, produce-forward summer salad features juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and lightly sweet slices of jicama. The simple lime dressing gets a hit of fresh, herbal brightness from plenty of cilantro leaves.

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No-Cook Summer Tomato Sauce

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
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This incredibly simple tomato sauce is Tony Mantuano’s secret weapon in the summer. He marinates peak season tomatoes with olive oil, basil, and shallots before spooning the mixture over grilled fish or piling it on grilled bread. Tony also loves to toss the sauce with chopped fresh mozzarella, cooked pasta, and olive oil.

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Chilled Tomato Soup with Parsley-Olive Salsa

Credit: ABBY HOCKING
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Pizzana chef Daniele Uditi’s ultra-silky gazpacho-like soup comes with a nutty, chunky topper.

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Canned Tomato Passata

Credit: Anthony Giglio
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With a thick, rich consistency and only a bit of salt and basil to season, tomato passata brings a concentrated, fresh tomato flavor as the base of soups, stews, and spreads. The citric acid is necessary here for food safety; since tomatoes vary in acidity, the citric acid helps decrease the pH and ensures the passata is safe to can using the water bath method.

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Mild Tomato Salsa

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You can make this salsa hotter, if you like: Simply adjust the amount of chile and reserve the seeds to increase the heat. Hot sauce adds some nice acid to this sauce; use your favorite vinegar-heavy brand, such as Tabasco.

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Gazpacho Salad

Credit: Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson
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This side dish from Anne Quatrano (BNC class of 1995) celebrates the best of summer with a combination of chilled gazpacho and chunky, fresh vegetables. “It’s a perfect way to highlight all that is right about summer vegetables at their peak,” Quatrano says. “We utilize tomato scraps for a juicy vinaigrette, and all the bounty of the summer can be combined in a delicious and healthy salad.”

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Seared Mackerel with Marinated Tomatoes

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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Julia Sedefdjian’s simple mackerel is briefly marinated, then seared and served over simply dressed ripe heirloom tomatoes. A white balsamic–spiked tomato vinaigrette provides the perfect sweet-tart counterpoint to the rich, robust flavor of the mackerel.

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Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber Panzanella with Grated Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette

Credit: Victor Protasio
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This summer blockbuster panzanella from Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, pairs oven-roasted sourdough croutons with juicy ripe tomatoes, raw red onion, and crisp cucumbers. Grated tomato adds a gentle acidity and chunky texture to the vinaigrette, helping it cling to every bite.

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Heirloom Tomato and Pepper Toasts with Whipped Ricotta

Credit: Con Poulos
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Velvety smooth, lightly seasoned ricotta serves as the perfect base for juicy ripe tomatoes and charred peppers on grilled levain bread. Fennel pollen adds a light licorice flavor, while fresh basil, chives, and a hint of lemon juice add brightness to the smoky flavor from the grill.

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Seared Fennel and Tomatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette

Credit: Julian Broad
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At La Granja resort in Ibiza, Spain, the cooking is all about the gorgeous vegetables overflowing from the property’s garden. In September, when produce is at its peak, the resort’s chef, José Catrimán, says to treat it simply. Here he gives fennel and plump tomatoes a quick char and a drizzle of vinaigrette for a no-fuss side dish that’s ready in 30 minutes.

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Giant Summer Tomato Tart

Credit: Christopher Testani
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In the height of summer, when tomatoes are at their most delicious, Laura Rege showcases them in this simple, fresh tart. She layers and bakes phyllo with breadcrumbs to create an extra-crispy base, then spreads the crust with a mix of mayo and cream cheese before topping the tart with colorful, juicy, glorious tomatoes.

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Gluten-Free Fried Green Tomatoes

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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Naturally gluten-free, cornmeal is the classic (and perfect) coating for tart fried green tomatoes. Be mindful when shopping for cornmeal; many brands are actually cornmeal mixes, which include flour and leavening agents.

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Grilled Okra, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Credit: Victor Protasio
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This next-level summer salad turns heads with its punchy charred jalapeño-and-herb-spiked dressing and a palate-perking topping of toasted crunchy coriander and cumin seeds.

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