Caprese salad
Caprese is a simple salad of ripe tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The key here is the quality of the ingredients themselves, a light dressing, and serving immediately after slicing to prevent the tomatoes from releasing too much juice.
How to make it
Prepared 0 of 6 steps
Prepare the tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes, dry them thoroughly and remove any tough spots near the stems. Choose ripe but not mushy fruits. If they were refrigerated, take them out for a short while before slicing to allow better flavor development.
Prepare the mozzarella
Drain the brine, place the mozzarella on a paper towel and gently pat it dry. The cheese should remain juicy inside but excess liquid on the surface should not dilute the dressing on the plate.
Slice into uniform pieces
Using a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into slices about 5–7 mm thick. A blunt blade will crush the tomatoes, squeezing out their juice and damaging the slices.
Prepare the basil and dressing
Wash and thoroughly dry the basil leaves, tear larger ones by hand. Mix the olive oil with balsamic vinegar and black pepper just before serving, not turning the mixture into a thick sauce.
Arrange the salad
On a large plate, alternate slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in overlapping rows, distributing the basil leaves between them. Do not pile too high: this will ensure that the dressing and salt reach all components evenly.
Season just before serving
Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with the prepared dressing and serve immediately. Do not prepare the salad in advance: salty tomatoes will release a lot of liquid and delicate basil will turn dark.
Little hint
Do not replace fresh mozzarella with firm pizza mozzarella: their moisture content and texture differ. Choose fragrant, ripe tomatoes; dressing cannot make up for watery, unripe fruit.
Frequently asked questions
What should I watch out for when cooking?
Do not replace fresh mozzarella with firm pizza mozzarella: their moisture content and texture differ. Choose fragrant, ripe tomatoes; dressing cannot make up for watery, unripe fruit.
How should I prepare the ingredients?
Wash the tomatoes, dry them thoroughly and remove any tough spots near the stems. Choose ripe but not mushy fruits. If they were refrigerated, take them out for a short while before slicing to allow better flavor development.
