Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Oil Recipe - Modern Farmer

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Oil Recipe

Homemade basil oil elevates this overtly simple salad.

basil oil

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, such as ‘Rutgers,’ scored and cut into wedges
1 medium-size sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
12 basil sprigs
Coarse sea salt, such as Maldon
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Basil Oil

To make the Basil Oil: In a small bowl, prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Using metal tongs, add 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves to boiling water, pressing down to submerge them. Remove basil as soon as it wilts and turns bright green, about 4 seconds; transfer basil to reserved ice-water bath and steep until chilled, about 1 minute. Drain basil and squeeze out as much water as possible. In a blender, combine basil and ½ cup olive oil; purée on high speed until mixture is smooth and bright green. Place a small, very fine-mesh strainer over a soup bowl and pour the basil purée into strainer. Allow oil to drip through mesh for 5 to 6 hours (don’t press down on the purée, as oil will get murky). Discard pulp and pour basil oil into an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (Makes ½ cup)

Arrange tomatoes and onions on a serving platter. Scatter basil over top and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle Basil Oil over top. Serve immediately.

Subscribe
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Related