Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad

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Move over tomato sandwich, we're loving this salad for summer.

By

Karen Schroeder-Rankin

Published on April 11, 2022

Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad — Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Active Time:

20 mins

Bake Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

Servings:

6

Our Test Kitchen pros have one word for this Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad: "heavenly." That about sums it up.

Once heirloom tomato season rolls around, we're finding any and every way to incorporate these unique beauties into our meals. This tomato cracker salad is a great, easily transportable option for a picnic—plus, it couldn't be easier to toss together. This simple but heavenly concoction has been showing up on summertime tables for as long as we can remember—it's like a tomato sandwich in salad form. But you don't see it much in cookbooks or glossy magazines, because a mash-up of tomatoes, mayonnaise, and saltines isn't exactly gorgeous.

This new version solves the image problem by turning it into a composed salad, with each element layered beautifully atop the creamy dressing. We also brightened up those traditional flavors with fresh herbs, sweet corn, and garlicky crisped crackers. Southerners sure do know how to dress up a sleeve of saltines, but believe us when we say that after tasting this cold salad, which combines heirloom tomatoes with saltine crackers, you'll never look at a box of crackers the same way again.

Ingredients

12 saltine crackers
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
¾ teaspoon garlic salt, divided
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes (assorted sizes and colors), sliced
Black pepper
¾ cup fresh corn kernels (1 ear)
2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; place crackers in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of crackers liberally with melted butter; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the garlic salt. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, chives, apple cider vinegar, and remaining ½ teaspoon garlic salt in a small bowl.
Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on a large platter. Arrange tomato slices on top of mayonnaise mixture, overlapping slightly. Season tomatoes with pepper to taste; sprinkle with corn. Coarsely crush crackers over salad; sprinkle with basil.

Heirloom Tomato-Cracker Salad

Ingredients

Directions

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