This recipe stems from my days working with Melanie and Taji of Simple Gourmet—way before I had ever heard of paleo. I think one summer we must have had close to fifty groups make a variation of this recipe for their culinary team-building events. Regardless of how many times I’ve made it, I have never tired of it.
This salad pairs exceptionally well with some simple grilled chicken or salmon. And nothing beats tomatoes from your own garden for this creation!
2 pints (1 L) grape, cherry or sungold tomatoes, halved crosswise
1 small shallot, minced
~ zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh-squeezed orange juice (from the orange you just zested)
1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh basil, chopped
~ salt and pepper to taste
1 bag arugula, washed
- Place all tomatoes in large mixing bowl.
- Add shallots and orange zest.
- Using a potato masher, mash tomatoes so they release their juices.
- Stir in orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Serve on top of arugula.
Variation—You can either serve the tomato orange mixture on top of arugula without any real mixing, or you can toss the arugula with some of the juices from the tomato/olive oil/vinegar mixture, then top with the tomatoes.
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Tomato and orange salad mashes grape tomatoes with a potato masher until their juices run, then dresses them with orange zest, shallot, basil, and red wine vinegar over a bed of arugula. Fifty culinary team-building groups have made this one and nobody tires of it. Serve it beside simple grilled chicken or salmon.
Pro Tips
- Halve the tomatoes crosswise and mash them with a potato masher - the released juice becomes the base of the dressing.
- Zest the orange first and squeeze the juice from that same fruit so the two echo each other in the dressing.
- Toss the arugula with a spoonful of the tomato juices before topping - the recipe's variation for greens that actually taste dressed.
- Garden tomatoes make this sing; the quality of the tomatoes is the only real limitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it pair with?
Simple grilled chicken or salmon, per the recipe - the salad does the talking on the plate.
Can I prepare it ahead?
Mash and dress the tomatoes up to a few hours ahead, but dress the arugula just at serving time.
Why mash instead of slice?
Mashing releases the juices that turn the oil and vinegar into a proper dressing.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Place all tomatoes in large mixing bowl.
- Add shallots and orange zest.
- Using a potato masher, mash tomatoes so they release their juices.
- Stir in orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Serve on top of arugula.
