Make the best fresh tomato salad using Jersey tomatoes! Keep a batch in the fridge, once the tomatoes are gone, use the oil for salads and more!
I don’t know if Jersey tomato salad is a thing to anyone else but it’s sacred to me and I wanted to share it with you.
When you grow up in Philadelphia, PA, you spend a good portion of the year looking forward to Jersey tomato season. Then, for a magical couple of weeks smack in the middle of a properly hot and humid East Coast summer, you do nothing but eat Jersey tomatoes. And, maybe hit the pool or the beach.
I grew up with this amazing tomato salad recipe, and now summer just isn’t complete without it. The ripe and juicy tomatoes soaked in oil and coated in salt and pepper, its a simple yet tasty snack any tomato lover will go crazy over.
What Is A Jersey Tomato?
If you have never had a Jersey tomato, you are missing out. A jersey tomato is everything that a ripe, in-season tomato should be. It is said that the jersey tomatoes are some of the best tomatoes you will find. It’s not quite clear what makes these tomatoes grown in New Jersey so amazing, but they just are.
Ask anyone in New Jersey or the surrounding states and they will tell you the same. Can you tell that this is something I miss? Don’t get me wrong, Seattle has all kinds of crazy and amazing organic produce available pretty much everywhere but Jersey tomatoes = swoon.
During the peak of the Jersey tomato season, my Mom would always make a huge tomato salad with local Jersey tomatoes.
Every week.
She would pick up a fresh rye bread from the local Jewish Deli and we would all sit around and dip the rye bread into the flavorful tomato oil.
Ingredients For Tomato Salad
The Jersey tomato salad involves the same simple ingredients as a lot of good summer salads consist of. So, odds are you already most of what you need stocked in your pantry already.
- Jersey tomatoes or Heirloom tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil or parsley for serving
- Fresh baked Rye Bread or Sourdough Bread for dipping (optional)
How To Make Jersey Tomato Salad
This is one of those recipes that’s almost not even a recipe because it’s just that easy. I could almost make this one with my eyes closed, and that’s not just because I grew up on this tomato salad.
- Cut tomatoes into medium-sized pieces, place in a bowl and set aside.
- Whisk or stir remaining ingredients together and pour over tomatoes, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- Serve topped with fresh basil or parsley and Enjoy!
- Eat within 24 hours or refrigerate the rest.
Do I Have To Use Jersey Tomatoes?
No, you don’t technically have to use Jersey tomatoes for this tomato salad recipe to still come out great. While Jersey tomatoes are my absolute favorite and make this recipe the best, you can really only get your hands on some authentic Jersey tomatoes if you are in the Philadelphia/New Jersey, or you grow your own.
Since going to those lengths to get tomatoes might not be possible for everyone, I am happy to report that you can use heirloom tomatoes (which are very similar).
While they might be hard for some of you to get to, I do highly recommend trying to get your hands on some jersey tomatoes at some point. It will change your views on what a truly good tomato is.
Tips For The Best Tomato Salad
- Traditionally, my Mom always made this with canola oil as a flavorless oil which actually works best to allow the tomato juice to shine. Since I don’t use highly processed seed oils anymore, I experimented and found that a combination of olive oil and avocado oil works just as well.
- Since we are in Seattle and I can’t technically get real Jersey tomatoes right now (like a lot of you!), I used the ripest tomatoes that I grew in my garden. I suggest organic Heirloom tomatoes that are in-season and red throughout.
- Some Serving Ideas: serve with fresh rye bread or gluten-free bread as a snack or appetizer. Serve as a side dish. As a topping for a green salad. Over grilled chicken or fish.
More Tomato Recipes
Fresh Tomato Pizza with Crushed Fennel and Goat Cheese
Summer Squash and Tomatoes With Basil
Zucchini Noodles With Fresh Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup With Tomatoes
Chicken, Tomato and Green Bean Curry
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Make the best fresh tomato salad using Jersey tomatoes! Keep a batch in the fridge, once the tomatoes are gone, use the oil for salads and more!
- 2 pounds ripe in-season Jersey tomatoes or Heirloom tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- fresh basil or parsley for serving
Cut tomatoes into medium-sized pieces, about 2" each as they shrink a bit when they release their liquid. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Whisk or stir remaining ingredients together.
Pour over tomatoes, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Serve topped with fresh basil or parsley and Enjoy!
Eat within 24 hours or refrigerate the rest.
- Traditionally, my Mom always made this with canola oil as a flavorless oil actually works best to allow the tomato juice to shine. Since I don't use highly processed seed oils anymore, I experimented and found that a combination of olive oil and avocado oil works just as well.
- Since we are in Seattle and I can't technically get real Jersey tomatoes right now (like a lot of you!), I used the ripest tomatoes that I grew in my garden. I suggest organic Heirloom tomatoes that are in-season and red throughout.
- Some Serving Ideas: serve with fresh rye bread or gluten-free bread as a snack or appetizer. Serve as a side dish. As a topping for a green salad. Over grilled chicken or fish.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Update Notes: This Tomato Salad recipe was originally published in August 2015 but updated in July 2019 with edited photos, step-by-step instructions and more helpful information to make the recipe.
So really, 1/4cup olive and 1/4 cup avocado oil? Is that right? Just sound like a lot of oil.
Beautiful dish and photos! Thanks, Nicky
Yes Nicky! It is a lot of oil but that is the beauty of this salad – you get this beautiful tomato oil that you can then use for a topping on a green salad, on top of fish, chicken, etc. Eat with bread, it’s sooo good!
Delicious & my favorite! I made it with only olive oil when I made it the other night, but I’m going to try it with my avocado oil right now! Excellent!!! Love & miss u!!! Xo
Miss you too Amy!! xo
Don’t know about this one … It is settled science that chilling tomatoes actually causes an enzymatic chemical change that destroys its flavor. This actually makes complete sense, as any fruit or vegetable is “designed” by nature to taste best, when uncooked, at nature’s ambient temperature. Cheese, too. Ever notice how chilling cheese completely masks its flavor? The flavor comes back when you let it warm to room temperature, unlike tomatoes. Once in the refrigerator, their flavor is gone because of the chemical change.
I have had Jersey tomatoes, and they are pretty good. On a scale of 10, with grocery store at 1 and Midwestern tomatoes, the world’s best a 10, the Jerssey’s rate at least a 7.
Good morning Steve! Thank you so much for catching that. I also woke up to an angry email from my Mom reminding me that this never went in the fridge unless there were leftovers. My mistake, which I chalk up to having a new baby and being tired ;). I just corrected the Instructions. Have a great day!
Super ripe, plucked form the garden tomatoes are a big favourite of mine. I grew up in Tennessee where summers were spent on my grandparents farm, helping with the harvest, grading the produce, riding tractors and eating lots of tomatoes and watermelons. I have never had a Jersey tomato but your fond memories speak volumes. A simple bowl of good tomatoes is always a treat.
That sounds like a pretty idyllic summer Kellie!
Tomato Salad is a staple in Philadelphia in the summertime. I LOVE it.
Yes! I miss the summer farmers markets and road stands overflowing with the huge Jersey tomatoes Peg – sooo good!