Prep Time 45

Servings 4 people

Making delicious marinated tomatoes is simple. Let the tomatoes soak up a light champagne vinaigrette, then top them with shallots and capers. Champagne vinegar has a softer flavor than most vinegars, which lets the summery tomato flavor shine through. I got the idea from Cathedral in NYC; I order this tomato appetizer whenever I am in the city.

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Red marinated beefsteak tomatoes with capers and fresh thyme. The first tomato slice has a bite taken out of it.

A Cathedral-Inspired Marinated Tomato Recipe

A picture of Ruth Grindeland the owner, recipe developer and content creator at Sinful Kitchen.

My husband and I go to New York to see musicals every chance we get. One of our favorite restaurants is Cathedral. On their menu, they list this as tomato provençal, which is actually a baked tomato recipe. Their appetizer is a perfectly seasoned marinated heirloom tomato salad. This is a must-stop for us whenever we go to NYC.

While developing this recipe, I focused on addressing a common complaint about marinated tomato salads: watery tomatoes. The technique of salting and lightly curing the tomato slices helps resolve this complaint.

Eat sinfully, live kindly ❤️
Ruth

What Makes This Marinated Tomato Recipe Unique

Salting tomatoes and lightly curing them for 20 minutes helps to remove excess water. That, in turn, keeps your marinated tomato slices from becoming waterlogged.
The champagne vinaigrette is gentle and creates a subtle, balanced flavor.
I use heirloom tomatoes, but you can use this recipe with any kind or size of tomato.
This is a perfect summer tomato recipe when heirlooms are at their peak!

Marinated red and yellow heirloom tomatoes that have been garnished with diced shallots and capers.

Ingredients

Key Ingredient Notes

Heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes

Look for ripe, heavy, and firm tomatoes. You want to avoid under-ripe ones. They need more time to develop flavor.

Champagne vinegar

Champagne vinegar is my first choice for making marinated tomatoes. The flavor is lighter than red wine or balsamic vinegar. If you do not have champagne vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar. It’s close.

Dijon mustard

We add a small amount of Dijon to emulsify the vinaigrette. If you skip this ingredient, your vinaigrette will most likely separate.

See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Marinate Tomatoes

Step One: Prepare the tomatoes

Slice the tomatoes about half an inch thick with their skin on. I recommend using a mandoline for even slices. Lay them flat on either a rack or on top of paper towels. Generously salt them with flaky sea salt and let them sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, blot the tomatoes dry.

A knife cutting through a yellow heirloom tomato

Step Two: Prepare the dressing

Whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Taste it before you use it and adjust to your preference.

Champagne vinaigrette in a small mason jar.

Step Three: Arrange

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Scatter the shallots and capers over the top. Pour the vinaigrette over them and let them marinate at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. If you marinate them longer, you risk the tomatoes losing their structure and releasing water.

Marinated heirloom tomatoes topped with shallots and capers.

Step Four: Serve

Just before you serve the sliced marinated tomatoes, add the basil, parsley, a fresh drizzle of olive oil, a light squeeze of lemon, flaky salt, and freshly cracked pepper. The herbs need to be added last to keep their texture and color.

More recipes with tomatoes….

Variations and Substitutions

Cheese

A light amount of crumbled feta or vegan feta cheese can add a lot of flavor. But a slight amount. Too much changes the personality of these marinated tomatoes.